New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-27
NOTES or WESTERN TRAVEL.
IRON CHICAGO TO TORONTO. BY THE
coLLINGwooD ROUTE.

the morning Of the 18th, the streets were fall
Of mud and the sky dark and Ieaky. As we
reached Alton the rain began to fall vigorously,
Frightening the green Of the prairies over whics
We sped, it is true, but shutting n sheir hori-
son, so that we had all Of their monotony with
psne Of their glorious expansion. Springfield,
which we reached in due tine, was in state
hat recalled my Winters experiences-in-
Guiding less Of overshoss. / made no allusion
10 the fact, however; for have alresdy dis
covered that you csnnst touch up Western
town or railroad, even in jocular way, without
exciting some rampant local prejudice AMI
superHuous indignation. In the West all the
traits of our national character are inteDsihed-
its energy, lite impulsiysness, its independence,
its sgrrcssyeness, its ambition and its sensitive
ness. remember hearing Sir Henry Bulwer
snce say that no man was more skillful in turn
ing a penny than Yankee, and none more
splendid in squsndering guinea. This is still
moro true Of tho Western man than Of the New
Highlander; but the former-to his credit be it
spoken-has much less of the chafering and
huckstering spirit than the latter. The faint of
selfshness which characterizes all money-mak-
ing operations is less apparent: his ventures are
bolder, his habits more free and liberal. 1t is a
milder form of the same business-life which
found in California five years ago; and this is
probably one reason Of the charm which West
ern life exercises upon nearly all who come
within It's influence.
must do Springfield the justice to say that
it has its sunshiny side, when the mud dries up
with magical rapidity and its level streets be-
come fair to look upon. The clouds cleared
away Oh the morning after my arrival, and when
nv friend, Captain Diller took me to the cupola
of the State-House and showed me the wide ring
of cultivated PRAIRIE dotted with groves Of hickory
sugsr-mapls and oak, which inspheres the capital
Of SuckerdOm, confessed that it was sight to be
proud Of. The young green of the woods and the
promising wheatfelds melted away gradually into
blue until the fronts of distant farm-houses shOne
n the morning sun like the sails Of vessels in the
citing. The wet soil Of the cornfelds rcserbled
patches Of black yelyet-recalling ~ my mind the
dark, prolific loan of the Nile Valley
] left iD the midnight train for Chicago. At
Bloomington, which we reached at 2 A. M our
conductor left u.s. but his substitute did not make
his appearance. The train waited, the passengers
grew impatient, but nobody knew where the gen
tleman lodged there was no one in the office who
il was not his business, and so the train still
waited After a strong remonstrance from some
passengers who were bound east and feared to lose
the morning trains from Chicago man was sent
TO search for the conductor, bat he returned IN
successful Finally, at day-break after delay of
two hours and quarter, the missing man APP
peared-haviDg oversight his time. He remarked
loosely, "Yoa've been waiting, / guess" and
started the train. But, owing to the delay, we
met the down-tran in the centre of a wide prairie
backed ten or twelve miles to switch off, waited
for o Rock Island train at Joliet, and came into
Chicago about noOn--losiDg the morning trains
and oblging the Eastern travellers to spend their
Sunday in Cleveland instead of NewYork.
The difference of season between ST. Louis and
Chicago is very apparent. We left the trees in
summer foliage at the former place, and watched
The green gradually grow paler and paler until, on
Vie shore Of Lake Michigan, only the buds of the |
earliest trees were open ano their leaves halt I
grown. The great prairie between Bloomington
and Vermilion River, spread out fiat to the hOri-
zon like a green ocean, sprinkled with flakes of
pink and blue and golden and crimson foam. lt
was a great contrast to the dreary, brown expanse
] had looked upon during the Winter. But
prairie cannot be properly appreciated from the
window of q railroad car. l0nged for the little
black Arab of Newark, Ohio, or the gray Morgan
of Dixon, to career across it's howery solitude
Chasing the flying horizon. Give me prairie
for raee-cOurse or hunting ground but not
though it yield me $50 bushels of corn per acre
for hsbitation!
Having already tried every railroad leading out .
Of Chicago, I determined to return home by the
Lakes The steamers on the new route to Col /
Inewood and Toronto had just commenced run I
ming, and offered the greatest inducements in the
way of scenery so we took passage on the Queen ,
Cur and left Chicago at late hour on Sunday
evening, the GOTH The boat, which is a feet and
handsome steamer newly fitted up for the season, |
was not crowded; and we secured pleasant state
rooms in the after cabin. We found intelligent
and smiable officers, an attentive steward, q good
table and all other requisites TO the enjoyment of
A LAKE voyage, and were favored in addition with
the smoOthest water and the elearest skies.
When awtke next morning, we We're in Mil
YANKEE River Here the boat was detained day
in order to take in freight; and l had the oppor-
tunity Of revistiDg some Wisconsin friends. The
stay was made fortunate by an unexpected meet
me with two shipmates of the Japan Expedition
and heard the adventurous youth who climbed
with me the precipices Of the BONN Islands relate
his more perlous feat of scaling the walls OF Nan
kng and astonishing the Chinese Rebels. In the
evening il was discovered that the boiler had
sprung leak, and that the necessary repairs
would detain us another day-a delay which none
of us regretted Milwaukee is as pleasant place
10 visit as 1t is beautiful to look upon Seen from
the hills in the rear, with its pale yellow houses
rising against the blue Of the lake, il is a copy, in
cooler tints, Of some town on the Mediterranean
shores.
As was ssunterng down to the boat on the
second evening was overtaken by an African gen.
tjeman of peculiar blackness and purity of race.
He sccosted me-desiring to know where the mail
boat from Chicago came in. pointed out what l
supposed to be the place, whereupon be drew near
tia1o