On first touching1 the soil of a new land, of a new continent, of a new world, it is impossible not to feel considerable excitement and deep interest in almost every object that meets us. New Orleans presents very little that can gratify the eye of taste, but nevertheless there is much of novelty and interest for a newly arrived European. The large proportion of blacks seen in the streets, all labour being performed by them; the grace and beauty of the elegant Quadroons, the occasional groups of wild and savage2 looking Indians, the unwonted aspect of the vegetation, the huge and turbid3 river, with its low and slimy shore, all help to afford that species of amusement which proceeds from looking at what we never saw before.
The town has much the appearance of a French Ville de Province, and is, in fact, an old French colony taken from Spain by France. The names of the streets are French, and the language about equally French and English. The market is handsome and well supplied, all produce being conveyed by the river. We were much pleased by the chant with which the Negro boatmen regulate and beguile4 their labour on the river; it consists but of very few notes, but they are sweetly harmonious5, and the Negro voice is almost always rich and powerful.
By far the most agreeable hours I passed at New Orleans were those in which I explored with my children the forest near the town. It was our first walk in “the eternal forests of the western world,” and we felt rather sublime6 and poetical7. The trees, generally speaking, are much too close to be either large or well grown; and, moreover, their growth is often stunted8 by a parasitical9 plant, for which I could learn no other name than “Spanish moss;” it hangs gracefully10 from the boughs13, converting the outline of all the trees it hangs upon into that of weeping willows14. The chief beauty of the forest in this region is from the luxuriant undergrowth of palmetos, which is decidedly the loveliest coloured and most graceful11 plant I know. The pawpaw, too, is a splendid shrub15, and in great abundance. We here, for the first time, saw the wild vine, which we afterwards found growing so profusely16 in every part of America, as naturally to suggest the idea that the natives ought to add wine to the numerous production of their plenty-teeming soil. The strong pendant festoons made safe and commodious17 swings, which some of our party enjoyed, despite the sublime temperament19 above-mentioned.
Notwithstanding it was mid-winter when we were at New Orleans, the heat was much more than agreeable, and the attacks of the mosquitos incessant21, and most tormenting22; yet I suspect that, for a short time, we would rather have endured it, than not have seen oranges, green peas, and red pepper, growing in the open air at Christmas. In one of our rambles23 we ventured to enter a garden, whose bright orange hedge attracted our attention; here we saw green peas fit for the table, and a fine crop of red pepper ripening24 in the sun. A young Negress was employed on the steps of the house; that she was a slave made her an object of interest to us. She was the first slave we had ever spoken to, and I believe we all felt that we could hardly address her with sufficient gentleness. She little dreamed, poor girl, what deep sympathy she excited; she answered us civilly and gaily25, and seemed amused at our fancying there was something unusual in red pepper pods; she gave us several of them, and I felt fearful lest a hard mistress might blame her for it. How very childish does ignorance make us! and how very ignorant we are upon almost every subject, where hearsay26 evidence is all we can get!
I left England with feelings so strongly opposed to slavery, that it was not without pain I witnessed its effects around me. At the sight of every Negro man, woman, and child that passed, my fancy wove some little romance of misery27, as belonging to each of them; since I have known more on the subject, and become better acquainted with their real situation in America, I have often smiled at recalling what I then felt.
The first symptom of American equality that I perceived, was my being introduced in form to a milliner; it was not at a boarding-house, under the indistinct outline of “Miss C—,” nor in the street through the veil of a fashionable toilette, but in the very penetralia of her temple, standing20 behind her counter, giving laws to ribbon and to wire, and ushering28 caps and bonnets29 into existence. She was an English woman, and I was told that she possessed30 great intellectual endowments, and much information; I really believe this was true. Her manner was easy and graceful, with a good deal of French tournure; and the gentleness with which her fine eyes and sweet voice directed the movements of a young female slave, was really touching: the way, too, in which she blended her French talk of modes with her customers, and her English talk of metaphysics with her friends, had a pretty air of indifference31 in it, that gave her a superiority with both.
I found with her the daughter of a judge, eminent32, it was said, both for legal and literary ability, and I heard from many quarters, after I had left New Orleans, that the society of this lady was highly valued by all persons of talent. Yet were I, traveller-like, to stop here, and set it down as a national peculiarity34, or republican custom, that milliners took the lead in the best society, I should greatly falsify facts. I do not remember the same thing happening to me again, and this is one instance among a thousand, of the impression every circumstance makes on entering a new country, and of the propensity35, so irresistible36, to class all things, however accidental, as national and peculiar33. On the other hand, however, it is certain that if similar anomalies are unfrequent in America, they are nearly impossible elsewhere.
In the shop of Miss C— I was introduced to Mr. M’Clure, a venerable personage, of gentlemanlike appearance, who in the course of five minutes propounded37 as many axioms, as “Ignorance is the only devil;” “Man makes his own existence;” and the like. He was of the New Harmony school, or rather the New Harmony school was of him. He was a man of good fortune, (a Scotchman, I believe), who after living a tolerably gay life, had “conceived high thoughts, such as Lycurgus loved, who bade flog the little Spartans,” and determined38 to benefit the species, and immortalize himself, by founding a philosophical39 school at New Harmony. There was something in the hollow square legislations of Mr. Owen, that struck him as admirable, and he seems, as far as I can understand, to have intended aiding his views, by a sort of incipient40 hollow square drilling; teaching the young ideas of all he could catch, to shoot into parallelogramic form and order. This venerable philosopher, like all of his school that I ever heard of, loved better to originate lofty imaginings of faultless systems, than to watch their application to practice. With much liberality he purchased and conveyed to the wilderness41 a very noble collection of books and scientific instruments; but not finding among men one whose views were liberal and enlarged as his own, he selected a woman to put into action the machine he had organized. As his acquaintance with this lady had been of long standing, and, as it was said, very intimate, he felt sure that no violation42 of his rules would have place under her sway; they would act together as one being: he was to perform the functions of the soul, and will everything; she, those of the body, and perform everything.
The principal feature of the scheme was, that (the first liberal outfit43 of the institution having been furnished by Mr. M’Clure,) the expense of keeping it up should be defrayed by the profits arising from the labours of the pupils, male and female, which was to be performed at stated intervals44 of each day, in regular rotation45 with learned study and scientific research. But unfortunately the soul of the system found the climate of Indiana uncongenial to its peculiar formation, and, therefore, took its flight to Mexico, leaving the body to perform the operations of both, in whatever manner it liked best; and the body, being a French body, found no difficulty in setting actively46 to work without troubling the soul about it; and soon becoming conscious that the more simple was a machine, the more perfect were its operations, she threw out all that related to the intellectual part of the business, (which to do poor soul justice, it had laid great stress upon), and stirred herself as effectually as ever body did, to draw wealth from the thews and sinews of the youths they had collected. When last I heard of this philosophical establishment, she, and a nephew-son were said to be reaping a golden harvest, as many of the lads had been sent from a distance by indigent47 parents, for gratuitous48 education, and possessed no means of leaving it.
Our stay in New Orleans was not long enough to permit our entering into society, but I was told that it contained two distinct sets of people, both celebrated49, in their way, for their social meetings and elegant entertainments. The first of these is composed of Creole families, who are chiefly planters and merchants, with their wives and daughters; these meet together, eat together, and are very grand and aristocratic; each of their balls is a little Almack’s, and every portly dame50 of the set is as exclusive in her principles as the excluded but amiable51 Quandroons, and such of the gentlemen of the former class as can by any means escape from the high places, where pure Creole blood swells52 the veins53 at the bare mention of any being tainted54 in the remotest degree with the Negro stain.
Of all the prejudices I have ever witnessed, this appears to me the most violent, and the most inveterate55. Quadroon girls, the acknowledged daughters of wealthy American or Creole fathers, educated with all of style and accomplishments56 which money can procure57 at New Orleans, and with all the decorum that care and affection can give; exquisitely58 beautiful, graceful, gentle, and amiable, these are not admitted, nay59, are not on any terms admissable, into the society of the Creole families of Louisiana. They cannot marry; that is to say, no ceremony can render an union with them legal or binding60; yet such is the powerful effect of their very peculiar grace, beauty, and sweetness of manner, that unfortunately they perpetually become the objects of choice and affection. If the Creole ladies have privilege to exercise the awful power of repulsion, the gentle Quadroon has the sweet but dangerous vengeance61 of possessing that of attraction. The unions formed with this unfortunate race are said to be often lasting62 and happy, as far as any unions can be so, to which a certain degree of disgrace is attached.
There is a French and an English theatre in the town; but we were too fresh from Europe to care much for either; or, indeed, for any other of the town delights of this city, and we soon became eager to commence our voyage up the Mississippi.
Miss Wright, then less known (though the author of more than one clever volume) than she has since become, was the companion of our voyage from Europe; and it was my purpose to have passed some months with her and her sister at the estate she had purchased in Tennessee. This lady, since become so celebrated as the advocate of opinions that make millions shudder63, and some half-score admire, was, at the time of my leaving England with her, dedicated64 to a pursuit widely different from her subsequent occupations. Instead of becoming a public orator65 in every town throughout America, she was about, as she said, to seclude66 herself for life in the deepest forests of the western world, that her fortune, her time, and her talents might be exclusively devoted67 to aid the cause of the suffering Africans. Her first object was to shew that nature had made no difference between blacks and whites, excepting in complexion68; and this she expected to prove by giving an education perfectly69 equal to a class of black and white children. Could this fact be once fully12 established, she conceived that the Negro cause would stand on firmer ground than it had yet done, and the degraded rank which they have ever held amongst civilized70 nations would be proved to be a gross injustice71.
This question of the mental equality, or inequality between us, and the Negro race, is one of great interest, and has certainly never yet been fairly tried; and I expected for my children and myself both pleasure and information from visiting her establishment, and watching the success of her experiment.
The innumerable steam boats, which are the stage coaches and fly waggons72 of this land of lakes and rivers, are totally unlike any I had seen in Europe, and greatly superior to them. The fabrics73 which I think they most resemble in appearance, are the floating baths (les bains Vigier) at Paris. The annexed74 drawing will give a correct idea of their form. The room to which the double line of windows belongs, is a very handsome apartment; before each window a neat little cot is arranged in such a manner as to give its drapery the air of a window curtain. This room is called the gentlemen’s cabin, and their exclusive right to it is somewhat uncourteously insisted upon. The breakfast, dinner, and supper are laid in this apartment, and the lady passengers are permitted to take their meals there.
On the first of January, 1828, we embarked75 on board the Belvidere, a large and handsome boat; though not the largest or handsomest of the many which displayed themselves along the wharfs76; but she was going to stop at Memphis, the point of the river nearest to Miss Wright’s residence, and she was the first that departed after we had got through the customhouse, and finished our sight-seeing. We found the room destined77 for the use of the ladies dismal78 enough, as its only windows were below the stem gallery; but both this and the gentlemen’s cabin were handsomely fitted up, and the former well carpeted; but oh! that carpet! I will not, I may not describe its condition; indeed it requires the pen of a Swift to do it justice. Let no one who wishes to receive agreeable impressions of American manners, commence their travels in a Mississippi steam boat; for myself, it is with all sincerity79 I declare, that I would infinitely80 prefer sharing the apartment of a party of well conditioned pigs to the being confined to its cabin.
I hardly know any annoyance81 so deeply repugnant to English feelings, as the incessant, remorseless spitting of Americans. I feel that I owe my readers an apology for the repeated use of this, and several other odious18 words; but I cannot avoid them, without suffering the fidelity82 of description to escape me. It is possible that in this phrase, “Americans,” I may be too general. The United States form a continent of almost distinct nations, and I must now, and always, be understood to speak only of that portion of them which I have seen. In conversing83 with Americans I have constantly found that if I alluded84 to anything which they thought I considered as uncouth85, they would assure me it was local, and not national; the accidental peculiarity of a very small part, and by no means a specimen86 of the whole. “That is because you know so little of America,” is a phrase I have listened to a thousand times, and in nearly as many different places. It may be so — and having made this concession87, I protest against the charge of injustice in relating what I have seen.
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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turbid
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| adj.混浊的，泥水的，浓的 | |
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beguile
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| vt.欺骗，消遣 | |
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harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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parasitical
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| adj. 寄生的(符加的) | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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commodious
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| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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tormenting
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| 使痛苦的，使苦恼的 | |
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rambles
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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ushering
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的现在分词 ) | |
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bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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propensity
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| n.倾向；习性 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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propounded
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| v.提出（问题、计划等）供考虑[讨论]，提议( propound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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rotation
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| n.旋转；循环，轮流 | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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indigent
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| adj.贫穷的，贫困的 | |
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gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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inveterate
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| adj.积习已深的，根深蒂固的 | |
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accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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seclude
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| vi.使隔离，使孤立，使隐退 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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fabrics
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| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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annexed
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| [法] 附加的，附属的 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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76
wharfs
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| 码头，停泊处 | |
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77
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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78
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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79
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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80
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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81
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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82
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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83
conversing
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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84
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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85
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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86
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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87
concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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