The Nevada journal., 1857-04-03
John Phoenix in Boston.

ten in Boston, which is in very exten-
sive sense of the word-rich.
letter to the Editor, from John PAenir.
at is Sunday in Boston. have been
sitting in my room, No. rs fremont
House, by the window, which commands
a cheerful view of grave yard, musing
on various matters and things in sol
emn state of mind well beftting the
place and the occasion. Seventeen inch
es of snow fell last night, and Boston
looks white like the Island of Ichaboe,
and to be full as desolate. Through
the hollow and reverberating passages
of this ancient building; around the
corners of the sinuous streets; from
each door and window, in every private
and public building, and from the hous-
es of God, resounds the peculiar sharp
hacking cough of the population of Bos-
ton. Every soul of them has it. 1t is
the disease of the country. When l
meet an acquaintance in the street, l
abstain from the usual greeting, and in
variably say, How is your cough 2 and
the reply invariably is. About the
same Coughing, and the ancient pas
time of hawking, followed by expecto-
ration,) are the principal amusements in
this cold city. In the grave yard be-
meath my window, on slate tombstone,
may be found, | am informed, the fol-
lowing touching inscription
Here lie bereft of BREATH
Because cough carried me off,
Then coffin they carried me off in"
which, doubt not, describes the case
of the majority of the silent incumbents
of that place of rest.
The fremont House is in many re-
spects good institution; it is perfectly
clean and well arranged, the attendance
is good and the fodder excellent but
there is an indescribable air of gloom
and solemnity peryades the entire es-
tablishment well suited to Boston, but
chilling to stranger to the last degree
The walters, dressed in black, with
white neckclCths, move silently and
sadly about the tables, looking like so
many methodist ministers with thirteen
children, four hundred year, and two
donation parties the man in the office
never smiles-in any point of view; a
large Bible, with the name of the house
stamped upon it in gilt letters, Ito pre-
vent religious strangers from bottling it,
lies on every table, and the chamber
maids attend family prayers in the base
ment All is grand, gloomy and it
must be confessed exceedingly peculiar.
| have attempted but two jokes in this
solemn place, and they fell like the
flakes of snow, silent and unnoticed-
An unfortunate individual in the read
ing room last evening was seized with
an unusually violent fit of coughing,
which, if a man could by any possibili-
ty be turned inside out, would have
done it; and as partial cessation of it
occurred, with his hair standing on end,
(he had coughed his hat off, his face
glowing with exertion, and the tears
standing in his unhappy eyes, he very
naturally gave vent to profane exc
Grafton. Everybody looked shocked!
l remarked in an audible tone to my
companion that the exclamation was a
cotter-dam an admirable contrivance
for raising obstructions from the bottom
OF streams, and probably adopted by the
gentleman to clear his throat; but no
one laughed, and | incontinently went
to bed. This morning on arising l dis
covered that my boots, left outside the
door to be embellished with backing,
had, like those of Bombastes, not been
displaced; so | said to the porter, man
OF grave and solemn aspect: You have
very honest set of people about this
house. why 2 said the porter. with
somewhat startled expression. Be
cause l rejoined, L left my boots out
side my door last night, and find this
morning no one has touched them. =
That man walked off slow and stately,
and never knew | had been humorous
Dlsappointments have been my lot in
life. l remember in early childhood
gong to the theatre to see Mrs. w. II.
Smith appear in two pieces; the bills
said she would do it, and she came on
the stage perfectly whole and entire
like any other lady. Upon the whole
it is my impression that Boston is dull,
SAONAh pACIlSC anu SOlcIlH CITY, W HlCll
| take to be owing entirely to the in
tense cold that prevails there in the
winter, which chills and freezes up the
warmer nature of the inhabitants, who
don't have time to get thawed out be-
fore the cold comes back again. Ihave
met many Bostonians in more genial
climates, who appeared to be very hear
ty and agreeable fellows. l took
short ride yesterday in the Metropolitan
Railroad cars, which are dragged by
horsepower from the fremont House to
Roxbury. The only other occupant of
my car was young and lovely female
in deep mourning. She wore heavy
black veil, and her thick and beautiful
auburn hair was gathered up on each
side her face, beneath spotless cap,
widows cap of snowy muslin. 1 had
always a feeling for widows; young and
pretty widows particularly, always ex-
cite my deepest interest and sympathy.
l gazed with moistened eye on the sweet
specimen before me, so young, so beau