Kitabı oku: «Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826. v. 1-2», sayfa 15

After this we went to the sisterhood’s house, wherein were lodged thirty-seven old women, who sleep all in one large hall. In the room where they perform worship, there is a small organ, as in the sisterhood at Bethlehem; one of the sisters acts as organist. I observed here, as well as in Bethlehem, that the old Moravian female costume, particularly the caps, have gone out of fashion, except some few very old women, and they now dress in handsome modern style. We visited the parson, Mr. Ronthal, and the elder of the congregation, Mr. Hoeber. I became acquainted with a former missionary, Mr. Oppelt, who was many years amongst the Indians, one hundred miles the other side of Detroit, and has baptized several of them. He has retired to Nazareth, and was busy in making preparations of birds.

On our return to Bethlehem, we went rather roundabout, in order to see a large farm, which is distinguished in the country on account of its good management; it is occupied by a native of Nassau, Mr. Schlabach. His fields are indeed in an excellent situation, as well as all his barns and farm houses. This proprietor, who is now so wealthy, came over a redemptioner, and owes his present wealth to his industry and frugality.

After dinner I went with Mr. Seidel, who is the guardian, to the great female boarding-school. In the office where the small domestic library is kept, which not only consists of religious books, but also belles lettres, voyages and travels, I met the venerable Bishop Huffel, who accompanied me, with Mr. Seidel, during my inspection of the school. In this school we found about one hundred handsome young ladies, between the ages of eight and eighteen years, who are carefully educated, and who, besides the common school education, are instructed in drawing, music, and all female accomplishments. They make very fine embroidery and tapestry, and also handsome artificial flowers. They are divided into four classes; in every class-room was a piano. I was informed that they performed their morning and evening devotions by chanting. After dinner they receive no other instructions but music and female accomplishments; the latter part of the day is employed in walking in the large garden, which lies in a vale behind the house. They have also a hall for prayers, in which stands a piano, and which is often made use of as a concert room. They sleep in large halls, with the superintendents, and the girls have a very good appearance. The custom which prevails in European boarding-schools, of dressing all the girls in uniform, and distinguishing different classes by different ribands, does not take place here; every girl dresses as she pleases. The scholars are from all parts of the United States, even some from Alabama.

After having examined this interesting establishment, I walked with the bishop and Mr. Seidel on the banks of the brook, in order to examine some works that are situated on the waterside. The first was the work which forces the water into the cistern, as above-mentioned. By a conductor from the brook, a water-wheel is set in motion; this wheel works two pumps, which force the water into iron pipes leading into the cistern. Not far from this work lives a currier by the name of Mr. Leipert, who manufactures leather and morocco: in this establishment the principal machinery is also moved by water. They have two ways here of raising water, one is by boxes fastened on a large wheel, these boxes fill themselves with water, when they are below, and throw it into a gutter, when they come up; the other is by a common pump.

At last my companions introduced me to a gentleman, who, with trouble and expense, had established a cabinet of ancient and other coins. This collection was indeed extensive and valuable, recollecting that it was in America.

I spent the evening very pleasantly in the young ladies school; all the girls were assembled, and gave a musical entertainment, mostly songs composed for several voices. But as the girls have to retire early, the entertainment, for which I was indebted to the politeness of Mr. Seidel, was soon ended. I remained a short time with Mr. Seidel, I then took my leave of this worthy man, of the venerable Bishop Huffel, and the polite Mr. Frueauf, with the intention of returning next spring, God willing, to this lovely spot, with which I was so much delighted. In going home, I heard the young ladies sing their evening hymn, and received a very pretty serenade from twenty young folks of the place, who, although they belong to the brotherhood, serve as the musical band of the militia. I could not leave this peaceable and quiet Bethlehem without being affected, whose inhabitants all live united like one family, in brotherly and sisterly love, and seem all to have the same habits, acquired by the same education and continued sociability. I returned with the stage on the same bad road to Philadelphia by which I left it, but better enjoyed the view of this beautiful, well cultivated and thickly peopled country. The last part of the road was particularly interesting to me. In the flourishing villages of Germantown and Nicetown there are handsome gardens and country-seats of Philadelphians. In the vicinity of Whitemarsh, I observed the remains of General Washington’s entrenchments. Germantown, originally settled by Germans, forms only one street, which is above three miles long. During the time when the English occupied Philadelphia and its vicinity, General Washington fell upon the English that were in and about Germantown. One battalion of the British threw themselves into a stone house, and defended themselves in it until the British army could rally again, and drive the Americans back. The house is situated in a garden, about one hundred paces from the road; near the house, in the street, is a well which supplies the house with water; to keep possession of the well was of great consequence to the British, and in its vicinity many men are said to have lost their lives.

On the ensuing morning I went with Mr. Halbach to Mr. Vaux, in order to visit under his guidance some other public institutions. At Mr. Vaux’s we met several of the public characters of the city, with whom I had conversations on various subjects of public utility, such as schools, punishments, &c. Then we went into a Lancasterian free school, where five hundred lads are instructed, and several hundred girls of the lower classes. We did not see the girls; it was Saturday, which is a holiday. The boys are of various ages, and are divided into eight classes, under the inspection of one teacher and several monitors. They obey their instructors by signals, all their motions are made according to these signals, and they give their answers with the greatest precision. They exercise their memory by reciting pieces of poetry, and making mental calculations. They write well and all alike; they also receive instruction in geography; one of the boys had drawn a good and correct sketch of Thuringia. They ought to pay more attention to the dress of the children, for some of them were in rags. The school is supported by the city, and is under the direction of Quakers.

Of the courts of justice I will say nothing; they are entirely formed after the English model. The common law of England is so well known, and so many huge volumes written upon it, that I need say nothing on the subject.

The state prison, which, about fifty years ago, was built for a county jail, contained ad interim those prisoners which are intended for the new penitentiary. For this reason this prison is overfilled with five hundred prisoners; they were not sufficiently watched, and therefore often riotous. Through a misdirected philanthropy of the Quakers, who have also the direction of this prison, there are no guards on the walls, nor in the passages, and but five overseers go continually amongst the labouring prisoners, and their lives are often exposed. The inspector of the house, Mr. Swift, seemed no way to favour this system, which not only does not improve the morals of the convicts, but also seems to threaten public security. At this time there was a bad feeling among the prisoners, and they daily expected a riot. The Quakers themselves, in spite of their philanthropy, seemed to have no great confidence in the prisoners. In our walk through the prison with Mr. Vaux, it was evident from his countenance that he felt uneasy, and as the prisoners were assembled on the large stairs at twelve o’clock, to go to their dinner, he ensconced himself behind the iron grate.

The female prisoners occupy one of the wings of the prison, and are employed in spinning, sewing, knitting and pulling horse-hair, platting straw, and washing. They sit in long warmed corridors, adjoining to the doors of their bed-rooms; ten and more sleep in one room, on horse-hair mattresses with blankets. There are also cells for solitary confinement established for them; in one of them, four weeks since, a handsome girl was confined that had been condemned for stealing, and affected to be a simpleton, deaf and dumb, but during her solitary confinement she began to speak sensibly, and with good understanding. The male prisoners inhabit the other wing, and have the whole yard to themselves, where there are several workshops. Most of the prisoners were busy in the yard sawing marble, others weave, are tailors, shoemakers, &c. and there are several good cabinet-makers, who make very fine furniture for the stores in the city. All hands are busy: the invalids are mostly employed in pulling horse-hair. In the bake-house of the institution they bake very good brown bread, and each prisoner receives daily one pound and a half. The prisoners have a long subterraneous room for an eating hall, which is lighted with lamps, and receive daily good broth, fresh meat, and potatoes. They certainly live much better than many an honest man who has to maintain his family by his industry. A weaver was confined in the solitary cells, who, in a moment of impatience, had cut through his thread with a knife, because it was entangled. In each wing there is a separate nursery for the patients of both sexes. In spite of the great number of prisoners, great cleanliness is maintained.

His excellency, John Quincy Adams, President of the United States, had just returned from a visit to his aged and venerable father near Boston, and took the room next to mine in the Mansion-house. He had been invited to the Wistar-Party on the 22d of October, at the house of Colonel Biddle, and accepted the invitation to the gratification of all the members. I also visited the party. The President is a man about sixty years old, of rather short stature, with a bald head, and of a very plain and worthy appearance. He speaks little, but what he does speak is to the purpose. I must confess that I seldom in my life felt so true and sincere a reverence as at the moment when this honourable gentleman whom eleven millions of people have thought worthy to elect as their chief magistrate, shook hands with me. He made many inquiries after his friends at Ghent, and particularly after the family of Mr. Meulemeester. Unfortunately I could not long converse with him, because every member of the party had greater claims than myself. At the same time I made several other new and interesting acquaintances, among others with a Quaker, Mr. Wood, who had undertaken a tour through England, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Russia, mostly with the philanthropic view of examining the prison discipline of those countries. I was much gratified with his instructive conversation, although I had some controversy with him on the prison discipline, as he heard that I did not agree with his views relative to the new penitentiary, of which he was one of the most active promoters. Mr. Livingston, who has effected the abolition of capital punishment in the state of Louisiana, was here lauded to the skies by the philanthropists. God send it success!

On the following day I paid my respects to the President, and gave him the medals which Mr. Cornelissen at Ghent had confided to my care. One silver medal was from the Botanic Society of Ghent, with an appropriate inscription for the President; the other a bronze medal, which had been struck in the year 1823, in honour of the Haerlem jubilee on the discovery of the art of printing; both were sunk by the skilful artist Mr. Braemt, at Brussels. In the evening I saw the President again, who honoured with his presence a party at Mr. Walsh’s. I had first the intention of leaving here to-day with the steam-boat for Baltimore, but the arrival of the President changed my resolution, as I wished to attend with him the anniversary, which was to be celebrated on the 24th of October, and then to travel in his company to Baltimore.

In order to celebrate the day on which William Penn landed in the year 1683 in America, which was the origin of the state of Pennsylvania, those who respect his memory have established a society, which celebrates the 24th of October as a public festival. At this time the celebration consisted of a public oration in the University and a public dinner. Mr. Vaux called for me at twelve o’clock to go to the oration. The building of the University of Pennsylvania was originally intended as a dwelling for President Washington, who declined the present, and it was then used for the University. A great number of people had collected in one of the lecture rooms; they seated me within the tribune whence the orator was to speak; the President, who entered soon after me, was led to the same place, and received with loud and warm acclamations. The oration was delivered by a lawyer, Mr. Charles Ingersoll; it contained rather a statistic account of the state of Pennsylvania than of the landing of William Penn; this the Quakers did not like, although the oration was well conceived and generally admired. The orator mentioned a particular fact, which, as far as I know, is unknown in Europe, viz. William Penn mentions in one of his writings, of which I had already seen the original in the library of the Philosophical Society, shown to me by Mr. Vaughan, that by an act of Charles II. this land was given to William Penn, and his Majesty, in honour of Penn’s father, Admiral Penn, called it Pennsylvania; he, William Penn, had proposed the name of New Wales, but the king did not sanction this name; Penn then offered to the secretary of the king twenty guineas, if he would persuade the king to call the country merely Sylvania; but even this proposition did not succeed; the name of Pennsylvania was very unpleasant to him; for they would think it great vanity in him, although he was very far from being vain. In his observations concerning the manufactures of Pennsylvania, the orator went now and then too far. He said, for instance, that nowhere, not even in Europe, are better carriages made than in Philadelphia, although the carriages of this place are not the very best nor the most convenient. The school establishments, however, he pointed out in a too indifferent light, and confessed complainingly that in the northern states they were farther advanced than here; he particularly observed that the University of Pennsylvania was in a poor condition. He also complained of the dissipation of the lower classes. This oration was much applauded; the audience likewise exhibited their respect to the President as he retired.

I sat next to Judge Peters, a venerable gentleman of eighty-two years of age, who was secretary of war during the revolution; moreover, I was introduced here to Mr. Washington, nephew of the hero, and Judge in the Supreme Court of the United States. He is the heir of his uncle, and possessor of Mount Vernon, where his ashes rest. After the oration I inspected the anatomical cabinet of the University; it is not a rich collection, but has some interesting articles, viz. two wax figures of full size, which can be taken to pieces; also a collection of human skulls, among which I remarked particularly the flattened skulls of two Peruvian Indians, and also a skeleton of a Creek Indian; many samples of fractured and badly cured human bones, and many curious bones; parts of the human body, injected or preserved in alcohol, &c.

At four o’clock, P. M. I drove with Mr. Vaux to the Masonic Hall, where the dinner was to be given. About seventy persons, mostly gentlemen of my acquaintance, were present. The President of the United States sat on the right of Judge Peters, who was president of the dinner, and sat in William Penn’s chair; I sat on the left of this worthy old gentleman, and on my left was the orator of the day, Mr. Ingersoll. Behind Judge Peters’s chair was William Penn’s portrait, painted in oil, and under that was a copperplate of his well known treaty with the Indians. The vice-president of the table was Mr. Duponceau, a Frenchman who has resided in this country forty-seven years, and during the revolution was adjutant to Baron Steuben; he is a lawyer, and pleads very well in the English language. This gentleman possesses a rare talent for languages, and has a particular fondness for the German. Gœthe’s Faust is his favourite work, and as I agreed with his taste, we entertained ourselves for a long time with Faust, alternately reciting our favourite passages. The first health that was drank, was naturally that of the President of the United States; his excellency rose, and in a short speech thanked them heartily; as my health was drank, I also rose, excused my imperfect knowledge of the English, and begged permission to thank them in the French language, wherein I could express myself better and more fluently. I then spoke a few words from the bottom of my heart, expressing the sincere interest I take in the happiness and welfare of this country; I congratulated the society on the pious feelings with which they celebrate the memory of their ancestors, and particularly of that excellent man who laid the foundation of this great community; these would be the best security for their future prosperity. I expressed my gladness at being present on this occasion, to witness their animated sentiments, thanked them, feeling fully for the kind reception I had met with, and told them that this festival, which was still more valuable on account of the presence of the chief magistrate of this great nation, would never fade from my memory, and that I hoped to leave behind me friends in the new world when I should have returned to the old. I concluded with wishes of blessings and happiness. It appeared to me that my plain address was not unkindly received. The president retired at eight o’clock, and I remained until ten. Among the commonly called volunteer toasts, the following were drank: “Weimar, the native country of letters!” I rose and said, that to this toast I could only answer by a modest silence, as it was worthy to be answered by a learned man from Weimar, and unfortunately I could not pretend to be one. When young, I had left home for a military school, to run my career in the chances of war, so that the sciences did not enter my door. I therefore, gave them in reply, the following toast: “Pennsylvania, the asylum of unfortunate Germans!” This toast was received with great applause. The venerable Judge Peters²⁶ sung a song, which he composed the preceding evening, with a great deal of vivacity, and every one was merry and lively.

The society have their laws written on parchment, bound in a very elegant volume. This book was placed before the president and myself, to sign; we signed it, and by this means became honorary members of this respectable society.

CHAPTER XII

Baltimore

On the 25th of October, I made several farewell visits, and went on board the steam-boat Baltimore at twelve o’clock, to leave the dear Philadelphia to which I had become so much attached. Mr. Tromp had set out several days before, to meet the Pallas at Norfolk. The President of the United States came on board of the steam-boat soon after, in company of several gentlemen from town. At the steam-boat wharf, a crowd of citizens had assembled once more to see the respected chief of their government, who is justly venerated by all intelligent men. When the boat started, the crowd, consisting of well-dressed individuals, cheered the president, who remained a long time uncovered. We descended the Delaware about forty miles. This river becomes very large; the shores are flat, and apparently well cultivated. The president had the kindness to converse a long time with me.

I was here introduced to a Mr. Sullivan, from Boston, who seemed to be much esteemed by the president, and Captain Maclean of the garrison of Halifax, who was travelling for his pleasure.

I also met with Mr. De Salazar, ambassador from Colombia, with his secretary, Mr. Gomes, and the Mexican consul, Mr. Obregon: I had already made the acquaintance of these gentlemen in New York. Their interesting conversation, and the moderation of their views gave me much pleasure.

We arrived at New Castle between four and five o’clock; this is a well-built little town, situated on the right shore of the river, in the state of Delaware, whence it is sixteen miles to Frenchtown by land, where the Chesapeake steam-boats receive the passengers.

The president being in one of the stages, the drivers went on more rapidly than customary. The road was in general sandy, and ran through woods; we did not perceive any villages, as it soon became dark, and the interesting conversation respecting the scenery ceased. Frenchtown is a little place, which was burnt and plundered during the last war, by the British Admiral Cockburn. We went on board the steam-boat Constitution. This boat was very spacious, and furnished with beds, the machinery, however, made a great noise, and produced a jarring motion.

The night was beautiful; the moonlight and the woody shores of the river, produced a very fine effect. I remained a long time on deck in conversation with Captain Maclean; no rest could be obtained in bed, as, in addition to the noise of the machinery, six horses trampled just above me on deck, and a German mechanic, who was unable to sleep, talked to himself, near me. We arrived very early next morning at Baltimore. After our arrival, the president took a carriage for Washington, which is only thirty-six miles distant. The greater part of the travellers remained in bed until between six and seven o’clock. I went through the somewhat solitary but regular streets to the hotel, called the Indian Queen, where lodgings had been prepared for me. Here I had the pleasure to meet Sir Michael Clare and his lady; shortly after my arrival, I received the visit of Mr. Huygens, son to the Chevalier Bangemann Huygens, ambassador from the Netherlands, at Washington, officer of our artillery, and attached to the legation. His father had the politeness to place this young gentleman at my disposal. As soon as I was established in the hotel, I went out in company with Sir Michael, in order to see the curiosities of the city. The town is of a regular construction, and contains, as I was assured, seventy-five thousand inhabitants. Great projects are formed for increasing its prosperity; these projects, however, have been somewhat stopped by some considerable failures. This place has increased with almost incredible rapidity; in the year 1752, there were only ten houses. The streets are wide, with foot-walks, some of them are planted as in Philadelphia, with poplar trees. The city seems tolerably animated; I saw a very great number of negroes in the streets. The state of Maryland is the first on which I set my foot where the slavery of negroes is legally maintained. Farther to the south, this state of things is every where common. I merely mention the fact; it does not belong to me to give opinions on so delicate a subject. Still my journey convinced me of the truth of the old observation, that inaccurate judgments are easily formed respecting things not sufficiently known, which we have neither seen nor examined ourselves. We first visited the Washington Monument, situated on a hill. It is, or rather will be, erected by the state of Maryland; it consists of a column of white marble one hundred and sixty feet high, it is to be adorned with bas-reliefs of bronze, representing scenes from the life of the hero. On the top of the column is to be placed the colossal statue of this great man. But the requisite funds are wanting; and therefore these ornaments are not yet finished. We ascended the column by a spiral staircase of two hundred and twenty-six steps, but did not enjoy a fine prospect, on account of the misty atmosphere. We visited another monument, erected to the memory of the citizens who fell in the defence of Baltimore on the 12th of September, 1814. On a pedestal stands a column representing a bundle of staves. The names of the fallen citizens are inscribed on the ribands which unite them. On the top is the statue of victory; at the four corners of the pedestal, griffins. We remarked several fine public buildings, among which, some churches were very distinguished. The handsomest is the Catholic cathedral, the dome of which, is similar to that of the Roman pantheon. The interior of this church is richly ornamented, and contains several fine paintings, the greater part of which, arrived during the French revolution. The handsomest among them is a descent from the cross, by Gulein, in Paris, which, according to an inscription, was presented to the church by Louis XVIII. at the request of Count Menou. It is to be regretted that its size does not permit it to be placed over the altar. It was suspended near the entrance. King Charles X. is said to have promised the companion to this piece. I was introduced in the church to the archbishop of Baltimore, M. Maréchal,²⁷ who is the Catholic primate of the United States. He is a native of France, and has resided in the United States since 1792, whither he first came as a missionary. He is spoken of as a man of much spirit and activity. His exterior is of great simplicity; he is of small stature, and animated. When he first addressed me, with his book under his arm, I took him for a French teacher, but he very soon presented himself to me as the archbishop.

The state of Maryland contains the greatest number of Catholics, with the exception of the state of Louisiana and Florida, where the Catholics, on account of their wealth have some influence. Not far distant from the cathedral is the Unitarian church, tastefully ornamented on the exterior with columns, and surmounted by a dome. The English Episcopal church is likewise not far distant; it has a colonade at the entrance, but a spire without the least taste. The front of the church is ornamented with two statues, of the Saviour and Moses, by an Italian sculptor, (still living here,) Mr. Capellano. It is reported that the inhabitants of Baltimore being very much scandalized at the horns of Moses, the artist was obliged to take them off. Certain it is, that the Moses on this church does not wear these ornaments. We saw another building of recent construction, called the Athenæum, which was built by subscription. We found there a small library and reading room for American and English newspapers, and a concert room. Finally, we went to a large building called the Exchange. A few hours after this promenade, Sir Michael and Lady Clare set out for Now York, whence they intended to embark for Jamaica. To them I was indebted for an introduction to Dr. Macauley, a respectable physician, whose acquaintance was the more agreeable to me, as I found him to be an accomplished man. In his company I rode to Fort M‘Henry; this fort is situated two miles from Baltimore, at the latter extremity of the isthmus formed by the eastern and western arms of the Patapsco, which empties into the Chesapeake Bay. This fort was rendered interesting by the repulse of an attack made by the British the 12th of September, 1814, by water; this well-sustained defence contributed much to the safety of Baltimore. The English disembarked their troops on the eastern shore of the Patapsco – these were to attack the city by land, meanwhile the fleet was to bombard, and to take Fort M‘Henry. The landed troops, whose general, Ross, was killed, met with such resistance from the citizens that they were compelled to retire with considerable loss; the attack on Fort M‘Henry had no better success. The English bomb-ships were anchored too far from the fort to allow the shells to do much mischief. Not being able to obtain any advantage from this side, they embarked troops in boats the following night, which, by aid of the darkness, passed the fort, and entered the western branch of the Patapsco. But they were discovered in time, and repelled by the batteries situated above the fort. The fort itself is very small, and ill-shaped; a pentagon with five little bastions, where at most but three large guns can be mounted; in front of the entrance is a little ravelin which defends nothing. There is no counterscarp; the ramparts are sodded. The fort is separated from the land by a wall, which might rather prove injurious than advantageous. Near the water’s edge there is a battery which can contain more than fifty guns for firing over the beach. There are also some furnaces for heating cannon balls. It was this battery which offered the greatest resistance to the British. It contained heavy guns formerly belonging to a French man of war, which were served by American sailors. One thousand five hundred men stood in this narrow space, without a single bomb-proof building in the fort, not even the powder-magazine, and notwithstanding, not more than thirty men were killed and wounded. Since that time, the engineers have erected bomb-proofs on each side of the gate, as well as a bomb-proof powder-magazine, and a bomb-proof roof over the pump. The fort is in a decayed condition, and is to be abandoned on account of its unimportant situation. The engineers intend to construct new fortifications several miles farther off in the Chesapeake Bay. Moreover, the situation of this fort is so unhealthy that the garrison leave it during the summer. From this spot there is a fine view of both branches of the Patapsco, on whose shores the trees in their autumnal dress of variegated leaves presented a very handsome appearance. On returning, we ascended one of the hills commanding the city, where we enjoyed a beautiful prospect. An observatory situated here, announces the arrival of ships in the bay by signals.