Reminiscences of Travel in Australia, America, and Egypt Part 8

Soon after leaving Sacramento the track ascends the mountains and pa.s.ses through the old gold-diggings so much spoken of thirty years ago. They are visible all around for miles, and some are still being worked. All the abandoned ones have been re-worked by the Chinese, who have got a great deal out of them. By and by we stopped at a station where there were several dreadful-looking Indians, some with their faces covered with red ochre and with feathers in their hair; others dressed in scarlet blankets, tall white hats, one-legged trousers and moccasins. They all looked very grave and stolid. I did my best to make one old fellow laugh as he stood on the platform with his arms folded, but his face was stony, and he remained steadfast and unmoveable. Their hair is like whalebone, matted and s.h.a.ggy; their noses and mouths are broad, and the women look uglier than the men. Several of the women were carrying their _papooses_ (babies) suspended over their shoulders, with the legs swathed like Neapolitan children. The only occupation of these degraded creatures is begging and stealing.

While we were pa.s.sing through swampy tract the large bull-frogs were giving a croaking concert in full chorus, and a rare noise they made.

Soon we began to sight the snow mountains, and by nine o'clock we were right amongst the pine forests and the snow, and very beautiful the scene looked with the moon s.h.i.+ning on it all.

Life on board a "Pullman" train is almost more peculiar than life on board s.h.i.+p. My party were fortunate enough to secure a cabin part.i.tioned off from the rest of the carriage; but the remainder of the sleeping berths have no part.i.tions, being separated merely by curtains.

Inexperienced travellers are apt to forget this, and sometimes cause much amus.e.m.e.nt in consequence. One morning I heard a young lady complaining to her mamma that she could not find her stockings, a remark eliciting numerous offers of a.s.sistance from all parts of the carriage. A neighbouring compartment was occupied by a lady and gentleman, the former of whom was deaf, and with the peculiarity often observable in deaf people, she imagined everyone else was deaf as well; the consequence being that there were no secrets in that cabin. Every carriage has a negro attendant, whose duty it is to make the beds and attend to the lavatories, the ladies' and gentlemen's lavatories being at opposite ends of the carriage. At half-past nine o'clock Sambo begins to prepare the beds, and soon after ten almost everyone has retired, and, as fortunately there are no decks to be paced, sleep soon comes to the weary.

Arrangements are made for three meals a day, the train stopping at stations convenient for the purpose, and notice being given half-an-hour before. Half-an-hour is allowed for each meal, the invariable charge being one dollar. As the train stops a general stampede is made toward the dining-room, the position of which is unmistakable, for at the door stands a negro, with a face devoid of expression, vigorously sounding a gong. As each person pa.s.ses in he pays his dollar, and makes a rush to the end of the room, where the cook is usually stationed. And now happy is he who possesses the Yankee's qualification for a good diner-out, for unless he has a long arm, a quick eye, and a silent tongue, he is likely to come off with much less than a dollar's worth. The experienced traveller, before sitting down, gathers all the dishes before him, within arm's length, and then proceeds to attack them _seriatim_, or sometimes all at once. Indeed, I think a man of naturally generous disposition, would be made utterly selfish by twelve months' travelling on American railroads. As soon as the half-hour has gone, the guard calls out with a shrill, nasal, Yankee tw.a.n.g, "All aboard," and we once more continue our journey.

Happening one day to say to a fellow-pa.s.senger that I was from Birmingham, an American gentleman hearing me came across the carriage, and, raising his hat, said: "I _must_ shake hands with a person coming from the city which returns John Bright to Parliament."

The Pacific Railroad is a single track, and, although a wonderful engineering work, is not by any means a substantial or confidence-inspiring line, if judged by English standards. The rails are old and worn, the bridges and viaducts very lightly constructed, and almost always of wood. I observed in several cases that the carriages were actually wider than the viaducts, many of which are open between the rails. It is hardly to be wondered at that awful accidents sometimes occur. The train in which we were travelling narrowly escaped falling into a ravine 120 feet deep. One dark night, after we had all retired to rest, we were awakened by continued whistling and ringing of bells. It was in vain that we inquired of the guards and attendants as to what was going on, for they, like their brethren all the world over, would give no information. One thing, however, they could not hide from us, for we found we were being taken across a viaduct one carriage at a time, and as we crossed we could see lights moving about at a great depth below. On arriving at Omaha, two days later, we found a full report of the occurrence in the papers. It appears that the viaduct had been discovered to be in an unsafe condition, some of its timbers having been partially burnt, and it was a matter of discussion whether we should be allowed to cross at all; it being ultimately determined, as I have said, to take one car over at a time. Ours was the last train that went over, for before daylight the whole structure had fallen with a tremendous crash. The Indians were on the war-path at the time, and it was supposed that the work of destruction was theirs. The railway here runs through some of the most magnificent scenery in the world. Sometimes its course lies through narrow valleys, or canons, where there is just room for the railway and the river, sometimes through immense pine forests, and then again on a mere shelf cut in the face of the granite mountain, until the point called "Cape Horn" is reached. This is the turning-point between east and west, and soon afterwards the greatest elevation is attained, 8,200 feet. About sixty miles of the more exposed portion of the road is covered with sheds, to protect it from the snow. This result, however, is not attained without considerable discomfort to the pa.s.sengers, as the carriages become filled with smoke and dust while pa.s.sing through.

One of the pa.s.sengers on our train was an old man who had not crossed the country since he went out to the far west some twenty-six years before-long before the railway had been thought of. The party with which he then travelled was so large that it had to be split into detachments for the convenience of pasturage. One night his section was attacked by Indians, who killed several of the party and drove off most of the horses and cattle. The old man had for many years been a trapper in the Indian country and had invested his hard-won earnings in horses which he was taking out west for the purpose of trade, and he was not disposed to lose them all at one fell swoop without making a bold dash for their recovery.

His plan of operations was soon settled, and in the evening he set off in pursuit with half-a-dozen picked men, each with his rifle and a good store of ammunition. After some hours they came upon the scent of the Indians, and moving cautiously forward amongst the scrub, presently saw them around their fires busily engaged in dividing the spoils of the morning. The trapper being a first-rate marksman, it was agreed he should do all the firing, while the others loaded and handed up the rifles as fast as required. Every shot told, and the redskins, judging from the rapid firing that the whole party of white men were upon them, made a regular stampede, leaving horses, and cattle, and other spoil behind them. So, painfully marching on, they came at last to the Mormon settlement and on to the Salt Lake City, where they were subjected to the most cruel treatment at the hands of the "Saints." These people told the travellers it was impossible to get to California by the route they were taking, as the country was swarming with hostile Indians, and they undertook to show them a better way by which they would get there in fifteen days. Many suspected treachery, and a consultation was held, which came to no definite conclusion, except in the case of one man, who, in the heat of debate, was shot dead. It was ultimately decided to adopt the Mormon advice, and as the route did not admit of wagons, they tried to sell them to the "Saints," who, of course, would not buy, knowing they would have them for nothing before long. Many of the travellers burnt their wagons and harness rather than that the Mormons should have them, but the majority abandoned theirs, and set out without them. Instead of fifteen days the journey took thirty-nine, and only a few survived it, most of the party dying by the way, either by the hand of the Indians or from fatigue.

For about a thousand miles the railway is open to the prairie, the consequence being that frequent accidents occur through cattle straying upon the track. I counted more than twenty carcases of these unfortunates in one day, and on one occasion, while sitting on the steps of the Pullman car, I felt a sudden check, and immediately after the body of a cow flew past. The herds are looked after by men with la.s.soes, riding very fleet horses. American railroads being much less protected from stray animals than those in England, the locomotives are provided with an apparatus called a "cow-catcher," which consists of an iron framework projecting in front and inclined downwards as near to the rails as possible. The contrivance is successful in moving most living obstacles from the track. For instance, when a cow gets between the rails and sees the train approaching, it becomes dazed, and the iron frame striking the lower portion of the legs takes it up readily. But with a bull it is quite different: when his lords.h.i.+p sees his enemy approaching he puts his chin down upon his fore-feet and waits the onset with a confidence not by any means always misplaced, for in this position his head and feet form a wedge which, becoming inserted beneath the iron frame, frequently throws the engine back upon the train, causing serious accidents. When at Ogden I saw the remains of a goods train which had been wrecked in this way a week before, the engine drivers being killed, also two stow-aways, or "dead-heads," as the Yankees call them, who had secreted themselves under one of the carriages.

[Picture: Salt Lake]

Waking one morning we found ourselves in a most awfully desolate country, with scarcely a sign of vegetation-a veritable dry and thirsty land, through which we travelled all day. Towards evening we came to the alkali country, and the plains looked as though they were covered with snow. This is a fearful place, where, before the construction of the railway, many poor emigrants have lain down to die. Soon after, we skirted the margin of the Great Salt Lake and entered Brigham Young's dominions, pa.s.sing his first town, "Corinne." This town was founded by the Gentiles after Brigham turned them out of the Salt Lake City, but he soon drove them farther off.

We left the train at Odgen in order to pay a short visit to the Salt Lake City, which is situated thirty-six miles off, and is approached by a railway belonging to the Saints. For beauty of situation Salt Lake City is almost unrivalled. It lies in a basin more than twenty miles in diameter, and is surrounded by mountains, some of which are 12,000 feet high, and most of them covered with perpetual snow. At the time of our visit the fruit-trees were in full bloom, and, as each house is surrounded by its garden, the city occupies a large extent of ground, presenting a beautiful appearance from the United States camp, which stands on an elevation commanding the whole city, about two miles off. A portion of the old mud wall, about ten feet high, built by the Mormons to resist the attack of the Indians, still remains standing. Several of the houses are exceedingly well built, and the gardens kept in excellent order; one in particular I was much struck with, and remarked to our guide that it was the brightest and best kept place I had seen since leaving England. He told me it belonged to an Englishman who had left for his native country on the previous day. Curiously enough, when I returned home, I found this man was a brother of my butcher, and was then on a visit home. We observed two ladies sitting in the front of the house engaged in needlework, and were told that they were the two wives of the English Mormon. It was very noticeable that these ladies sat at a considerable distance apart, cordiality (unless it be of hatred) not being a characteristic of these Mormon wives in their relations with each other. At the time of our visit the "Prophet" was down south, looking out for a new location for the Saints, in view of the threatened difficulties with the Central Government. We visited the Tabernacle, and saw the preparations for the new temple, to which the deluded of all nations continue to contribute, although it is exceedingly doubtful that the building will be carried to completion. The man who showed us over the Tabernacle used to work in a London factory; but he told us with a curious twinkle in his eye that the "new job" paid him much the best. At a short distance from the city there is a sulphur spring, of considerable volume, proceeding from the side of the mountains; the temperature of the water is such that eggs can be boiled in it. We slept at Ogden that night in order to be in good time for securing places in the train going east in the morning. When the hotel bill was presented I tendered English gold in payment, having disposed of my U.S. currency. The landlord refused to take it, saying, "He would not have the - British gold." I explained to him that I had no other money, but to no purpose, so, as the train was almost due, I told him I would pay him when I came that way again, but was not sure when that would be. He quietly said, "I guess I'll take your gold," much to the amus.e.m.e.nt of the bystanders. At the station here is a printed notice cautioning travellers to "BEWARE OF BOGUS TICKET SELLERS."

For three days after leaving Ogden we travelled through the snow, pa.s.sing through a series of canons or gorges, which narrow at the base until there is just room for the brawling stream which runs along the bottom.

The railway in such cases is either excavated on one side of the gorge or carried on trestles over the stream. The rocks on the mountain sides, mostly of red sandstone, are very bold and of strange shapes. Amongst them is a very weird-looking group called "The Witches." Another group, known as "The b.u.t.tes," bears a most striking resemblance to a line of strong fortifications commanding the valley.

[Picture: Monument Rock]

We saw these at sunset, and the effect of the evening light upon the red sandstone was very fine. In the same neighbourhood is the celebrated Devil's Slide; it is formed by the earth being gradually washed away from between two lines of vertical strata about 20ft. apart. It is some hundreds of feet in length, and descends into the river. This valley was the route taken by the Western Pioneers, and is marked here and there by solitary graves with crosses at their heads.

[Picture: The Devil's Slide]

The whole 8,000 feet descent from the summit to the eastern plains is made in about four hours. The steam is turned off, the brakes turned on, and down we go. As we were preparing to descend I remarked to the negro attendant that I supposed we must trust the engineer now? "No, sah,"

said Sambo, "I guess we must trust de ole man up above," pointing to the skies.

CHAPTER IX.

On reaching Chicago we left "the overland train," with the object of paying a short visit to Niagara. The last stage of our long ride was from Omaha, during which we crossed the Missouri and Mississippi. There being three competing lines to Chicago the pace became greatly accelerated, so much so that during a considerable portion of the long ride it was almost impossible to stand on one's feet, and the country being very dry, the train was enveloped in a cloud of dust almost the whole of the way. We had, however, one compensation, for attached to the train was a well-appointed dining-car, with first-rate cuisine. The viands were of the choicest quality, and in great variety. Moreover, the speed of the train was slackened during meals, an arrangement affording a degree of comfort unknown on the Pacific Line. The bill of fare is a curiosity in its way, being garnished with appetising mottoes and sentiments, such as, "As you journey through life live by the way," "Eat and be satisfied," and concluding with an expression of belief that pa.s.sengers would appreciate this new feature of "Life on the Road."

In going through Chicago we were much surprised by the fine and substantial-looking buildings in every part of the city. There are fifty to one hundred streets, any one of which is equal to the best in London; indeed, it struck me as being more of a city than any place I had ever been in. We observed a whole block of buildings, including a bank on the ground floor, and offices above, being removed bodily without any disturbance of the business operations going on in it. The water for the city supply is taken from Lake Michigan through a pipe which extends two miles into the lake. The capacity of the pumping engines is seventy-five millions of gallons per day, the greatest demand being forty-five millions. During the last few years there have been many disastrous fires in Chicago, directly traceable to the general employment of timber not only in buildings, but for the side walks and roadways. The broad streets referred to above are, however, constructed of a fine warm-coloured sandstone, and all the new streets are being made of the same material. Nevertheless, a considerable number of timber houses remain, const.i.tuting a standing danger to the city. While in Chicago I found my pa.s.sport useful. On going to the bank to get some money on my Letter of Credit the manager told me they had not received a copy of my signature from the bank in England, and that in its absence they could not honour my draft. It was in vain that I showed him my watch and other articles having my name engraved upon them. He looked at them as though he thought there were various ways of getting possession of such articles. I told him I regretted I had not been born with my name on my person, but I was not accountable for the omission. I then thought of my pa.s.sport, and although he appeared to think that it was possible to obtain possession of that improperly, he accepted it with the remark that "even that is not conclusive," for it should have had a description of my person. We stayed at the Grand Pacific Hotel, which formed a great contrast to the Palace Hotel at San Francisco, being uncomfortable and badly administered.

At Detroit we cross the frontier into Canada, travelling over the Great Western Railway to Niagara. This line was constructed by English contractors, and the superiority of the work is manifested in the smooth, steady motion of the carriages. Compared with the lines we had previously traversed this was most comfortable. We pa.s.s through London, Paris, and other places with equally celebrated names, greatly enjoying the forest scenery, numerous clearings and bright little homesteads dotted over the country; and for the first time since leaving England seeing lovely green fields such as we have at home. At Niagara we stopped at the famous Clifton House, where we were joined by friends from England.

Our impressions of Niagara were those common to most visitors-first, a feeling of disappointment, soon succeeded, however, by an ever-increasing sense of the immensity and magnificence of the Falls, which grows upon one the more one sees them.

A sentiment of disgust, however, is inspired by the ruthless desecration of the most beautiful spots by Yankee manufacturers, who have chosen such picturesque positions for their smoky factories.

[Picture: Under the Falls, Niagara]

Another annoyance constantly experienced is from the peripatetic photographer, who endeavours to persuade you that you are greater than the "Falls." The Falls, indeed, are made to seem a mere background to your photograph, in which he is careful to show you nearest the camera, and hence proportionately by far the most imposing object.

To get into Canada we have to cross the suspension bridge. Going over one day we purchased about 1 worth of photographs of Canadian scenery.

On returning with them we were accosted by the American customs officer, who mulcted us in nearly twenty s.h.i.+llings duty. On entering his office to obtain a receipt we observed a "six-shooter" at his right hand, presumably for the purpose of persuasion. On leaving the place I met an American policeman and told him what a shabby transaction it was for the representatives of so great a country. He replied that he guessed the officer must raise his salary. I refrain from any attempt to describe the mighty Falls of Niagara.

On our way to New York we travelled by railway to Albany, the capital of the State of New York, pa.s.sing through Syracuse, Rome, and Utica, along the sh.o.r.es of Lake Ontario, although from the lowering of the ground and the abundance of trees we were unable to see the lake; thence alongside the Falls River, through very charmingly diversified country with numerous valleys going up from the waterside, well-timbered, and here and there a clearing with open green fields. The houses are in most cases mean-looking plank erections, presenting a very weather-beaten appearance, some painted a very dark red colour. In the evening we reached Albany, an old Dutch town of over two hundred years, and very Dutch-looking it is with its queer red-brick houses, wooden pavements, and trees along the streets, and frequent peeps of the river here and there. Amongst the finest public buildings are those devoted to the national schools, a true gauge of the importance the citizens attach to the education of the people. On our way to New York we had an opportunity of taking a day's sail on the River Hudson in one of the celebrated American river-boats. Going on board we found ourselves on a veritable floating palace. The steamer was a three-decker, two of the decks being covered with splendid carpets, and fitted with arm-chairs of a most comfortable pattern, and with velvet-covered ottomans and couches in all directions. Taking up one of the books from the well-stocked bookstall I saw it purported to be one of a series of standard works by American authors, and on looking down the list I observed the names of Tennyson, Barry Cornwall, and others. Our American cousins were always great at annexation, and the only wonder is they do not call their mother tongue the "American language."

The Americans seem anxious that everyone shall admit that the Hudson is finer than any other river in the world. I have been down the Elbe, through the Saxon Switzerland, also down the Danube and the Rhine. The Hudson is far more beautiful than the Rhine. The banks are thickly wooded, and the villages and country houses prettily situated. It is true that the Hudson lacks the romantic a.s.sociations of the Rhine, but even in this respect it is not altogether wanting, for does it not possess the Catskill Mountains, with their legend of Rip Van Winkle? But I like the Danube best; its banks are loftier and more rugged, and are covered with pines, and from its comparative narrowness one can see both sides at once. Then again, the ancient towns and monasteries jutting out on the spits of land are infinitely more interesting than the wooden houses along the Hudson. Again, the Elbe, especially in the Saxon Switzerland, is decidedly more beautiful than the Hudson; but for all this the latter is a river of which a nation may well be proud, and we greatly enjoyed our sail upon it.

[Picture: The Pallisades, Hudson River]

On a subsequent visit to the Hudson we landed at West Point, the seat of the celebrated military academy founded by Was.h.i.+ngton, where there are some hundreds of students. Our hotel was situated about two miles from the academy, and overlooked the river from an eminence of about two hundred feet. The river can be seen for some miles winding between steep banks on both sides. The morning after our arrival was a Sunday, and the church bells were ringing for service. There are two opposition churches here, but I have reason to believe they are very charitable to one another; at all events their respective bell-ringers do not believe in the jarring of the sects, for I notice that first one rings out one-two-three-four; then a decent pause, and his neighbour likewise rings out one-two-three-four, and so the celestial harmonies are not disturbed.

On the opposite bank of the river is a place historic in the annals of the Revolution, for here it was that the American General Arnold was stationed while he was carrying on his treasonable correspondence with the ill-fated Major Andre. Arnold was sitting at breakfast with his officers and some guests when word was brought him that Andre was captured as a spy by the Americans. Knowing he would surely be incriminated, Arnold pretended he was wanted below on urgent business, and, going down to Beverley landing, he ordered his men to row him to the British man-of-war lying in the river. Poor Andre, it will be remembered, was hanged by order of Was.h.i.+ngton. His bust was placed in Westminster Abbey; three times since then has it been mutilated by miscreants. Walking through the village we observed a mean-looking tumble-down tenement, with an equally mean-looking signboard stuck upon it, bearing this inscription:-"John Scales, Justice of the Peace, Notary Public." His "Honour" was sitting inside, in his s.h.i.+rt-sleeves, with a white ap.r.o.n on, while behind him on a shelf were a few old dry-as-dust books, of the law I suppose. The whole place looked totally at variance with our ideas of the majesty of the law; indeed it suggested that "justice" could be had for the buying, and that no one was expected to pay much regard to the decision of such a court. On returning to the hotel I spoke of this functionary to the negro waiter, suggesting that he _dealt_ in justice, "Yes, sah; I guess a dollar will go a long way with him," replied he.

[Picture: John Scales, Justice of the Peace]

Ascending the mountain we came across an old man at work on the roads.

He was a German, having come to America in 1841. He served in the Mexican war, and one of his sons was killed in the war against the Southern rebels. The old man said it was hard work mending roads, and that the winters were very severe, "but," said he, "it is a free country, and that makes up for all. In Germany a man dares not open his mouth, but here one can say what one likes."

Pa.s.sing by a farmyard our curiosity was aroused by seeing the stock of poultry secured by the leg to the fence. As we had often heard in our travels in the States that this was "a great country," we presume this was an expedient adopted to prevent the fowls straying and being lost.

Of course, England being so small, such precautions are not necessary.

We returned to New York in another of the celebrated river-boats.

During my stay in the States there were two great subjects which monopolised public attention. These were the Centennial Exhibition which had just been opened: and the wave of corruption among officials and others which was sweeping over the land. More s.p.a.ce was occupied in the Press by charges of malversation and fraud on the part of the officials, from the President down to the lowest civil service clerks, and from them through all grades of society, than with the Exhibition itself or with any other subject, while the talk in the streets seemed to be about nothing else. In alluding to the unlawful gains made in this way by many prominent citizens, a New York paper made use of a sentiment of Mark Twain to the effect that whereas in times past folks used to say "poor but honest," now-a-days when you see a rich man who has acc.u.mulated money in a proper way it is said that he is "rich but honest."

I have travelled in many countries, but in almost everything have found America twice as dear as any other country. The charges are simply monstrous. Having to go from an hotel to the steam wharf, we were not permitted to take our very modest amount of luggage in the omnibus with us, although we had the vehicle all to ourselves; but the hotel people insisted upon sending it in a special wagon, charging two dollars for what a cabman in Birmingham would willingly have done for a s.h.i.+lling. On board the steamer we were charged six s.h.i.+llings each for a plain dinner, without wine, which in England would not have cost more than 1s. 6d.

Bound books are equally dear. Pocket volumes, containing not more than one-sixth of the matter in a s.h.i.+lling volume of Chambers' "Miscellany of Entertaining Tracts," were charged two s.h.i.+llings each. Most of the newspapers, also, are very inferior to, yet much dearer than, the English papers. Another form of extortion is to be found in the impossibility, in many hotels, of obtaining information as to the sailing of river-boats, departure of trains, etc., the only apparent explanation being a desire to give "touts" and "loungers," of whom there are many, opportunities of extorting money. These fellows seem to know nothing unless they can hear the dollars c.h.i.n.k, or see the dirty greenbacks (and some of them are very dirty). A fellow once gave me in change a dollar note which was so filthy that scarcely a word was legible upon it. It looked as though it might contain smallpox or typhoid, so I asked him to wash it. He said he guessed he would-_for a dollar_.

Against all this, I am bound to say that the charges made by the steamboat companies and most of the railways are exceedingly moderate, and their arrangements in connection with baggage most convenient. On arriving at any of the large cities by river-boat, the agent of the Luggage Express Company comes on board and takes possession of your baggage, giving vouchers for it. He also undertakes to collect any baggage you may have sent to the City Railway Station from distant parts of the country, and very soon after you arrive at your hotel it is brought to you. At the landing stages in such cities as New York there are numbers of cabs, mostly driven by Irishmen, and when they find you have disposed of your luggage and do not require their services, they give vent to their disgust in no measured terms, and if the traveller is a Britisher, he is soon reminded of the fact.

The mode of dealing with baggage on the railway is almost equally convenient. The following will give some idea of it. You are travelling, say, from Aberdeen to Penzance, intending ultimately to proceed by way of London to Dover, and do not require the bulk of your luggage till you arrive at the latter place. On leaving Aberdeen, the Baggage Master takes your superfluous luggage, putting bra.s.s labels upon it, thus-

ABERDEEN-DOVER.

846.

giving you corresponding labels, after which you have no further occasion to trouble yourself in the matter until you get to Dover.

We visited the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia for the purpose of inspecting the various productions corresponding to our own, hoping, indeed expecting, to find something which would repay us for coming. We were, indeed, repaid, but in a sense totally opposed to what we expected, for we found that so far from Americans being in advance of the English, they were, in many cases, taking credit for so-called "improvements"

(claiming them as novelties), which we had been familiar with, and had used in our own works many years before. They appear to be strangely unaware of what has been done in European countries, and a single instance will ill.u.s.trate this. The machinery in the Exhibition was driven by a single large steam-engine. The newspapers made a great deal of this engine, declaring that it was the largest in the world, and that it had been made in the smallest State-Rhode Island. An American engineer with evident pride took us to see the big engine, which, after all, had a cylinder of only 70in. diameter. We told him that five-and-twenty years before a small engineering firm in Cornwall, England, had made several engines with cylinders 144in. in diameter, and which are yet at work.

We were permitted to inspect some of the most important engineering establishments, and found the tools of such an inferior character that our only wonder was that they could produce either good or cheap work.

In most cases the floors of the workshops were inches deep in ferruginous dust. Under such conditions every time a heavy casting is dropped on the floor a cloud of dust must rise, and entering the bearings of the tools, cut them up badly. We found many of the tools actually wedged up because of this.