第5章

SmithisenjoinednottocheatJones，becausehewill，inthelongrun，makemoremoneybydealingwithJonesonthesquare。Thisisnotteachingofthehighestorder；butitisteachingwelladaptedtohumancircumstances，andhasobtainedforitselfawidecredit。

Oneisdriven，however，todoubtwhethereventhisteachingisnottoohighforthefrontierman。Isitpossiblethatafrontiermanshouldbescrupulousandatthesametimesuccessful？Hithertothosewhohaveallowedscruplestostandintheirwayhavenotsucceeded；andtheywhohavesucceededandmadeforthemselvesgreatnames，whohavebeenthepioneersofcivilization，havenotallowedideasofexacthonestytostandintheirway。FromGeneralJasondowntoGeneralFremonttherehavebeenmenofgreataspirationsbutofslightscruples。Theyhavebeenambitiousofpoweranddesirousofprogress，butsomewhatregardlesshowpowerandprogressshallbeattained。CliveandWarrenHastingsweregreatfrontiermen，butwecannotimaginethattheyhadeverrealizedthedoctrinethathonestyisthebestpolicy。Cortez，andevenColumbus，theprinceoffrontiermen，areinthesamecategory。Thenamesofsuchheroesislegion；butwithnoneofthemhasabsolutehonestybeenafavoritevirtue。“Itbehovesafrontiermantobesmart，sir。“Such，inthatorotherlanguage，hasbeentheprevailingidea。Suchistheprevailingidea。Andonefeelsdriventoaskone\'sselfwhethersuchmustnotbetheprevailingideawiththosewholeavetheworldanditsrulesbehindthem，andgoforthwiththeresolvethattheworldanditsrulesshallfollowthem。

Offilibustering，annexation，andpolishingsavagesoffthefaceofcreationtherehasbeenagreatdeal，andwhocandenythathumanityhasbeenthegainer？Itseemstothosewholookwidelybackoverhistory，thatallsuchworkshavebeencarriedoninobediencetoGod\'slaws。WhenJacobbyRebecca\'saidcheatedhiselderbrother，hewasverysmart；butwecannotbutsupposethatabetterracewasbythissmartnessputinpossessionofthepatriarchalscepter。Esauwaspolishedoff，andreadersofScripturewonderwhyheaven，withitsthunder，didnotopenovertheheadsofRebeccaandherson。ButJacob，withallhisfraud，wasthechosenone。Perhapsthedaymaycomewhenscrupuloushonestymaybethebestpolicy，evenonthefrontier。Icanonlysaythathithertothatdayseemstobeasdistantasever。Idonotpretendtosolvetheproblem，butsimplyrecordmyopinionthatundercircumstancesastheystillexistIshouldnotwillinglyselectafrontierlifeformychildren。

Ihavesaidthatallgreatfrontiermenhavebeenunscrupulous。

Thereis，however，anexceptioninhistorywhichmayperhapsservetoprovetherule。ThePuritanswhocolonizedNewEnglandwerefrontiermen，andwere，Ithink，ingeneralscrupulouslyhonest。

Theyhadtheirfaults。Theywerestern，austeremen，tyrannicalatthebackbonewhenpowercameintheirway，asareallpioneers，harduponvicesforwhichtheywhomadethelawshadthemselvesnominds；buttheywerenotdishonest。

AtMilwaukeeIwentuptoseetheWisconsinvolunteers，whowerethenencampedonopengroundintheclosevicinityofthetown。OfWisconsinIhadheardbefore——andhaveheardthesameopinionrepeatedsince——thatitwasmorebackwardinitsvolunteeringthanitsneighborStatesintheWest。Wisconsinhas760，000

inhabitants，anditstenththousandofvolunteerswasnotthenmadeup；whereasIndiana，withlessthandoubleitsnumber，hadalreadysentoutthirty-sixthousand。Iowa，withahundredthousandlessofinhabitants，hadthenmadeupfifteenthousand。ButneverthlesstomeitseemedthatWisconsinwasquitealivetoitspresumeddutyinthatrespect。Wisconsin，withitsthree-quartersofamillionofpeople，isaslargeasEngland。Everyacreofitmaybemadeproductive，butasyetitisnothalfcleared。Ofsuchacountryitsyoungmenareitsheart\'sblood。Tenthousandmen，fittobeararms，carriedawayfromsuchalandtothehorrorsofcivilwar，isasightasfullofsadnessasanyonwhichtheeyecanrest。Ahme，whenwilltheyreturn，andwithwhatalteredhopes！Itis，I

fear，easiertoturnthesickleintotheswordthantorecasttheswordbackagainintothesickle！

WefoundacompletedregimentatWisconsinconsistingentirelyofGermans。AthousandGermanshadbeencollectedinthatStateandbroughttogetherinoneregiment，andIwasinformedbyanofficeronthegroundthattherearemanyGermansinsundryotheroftheWisconsinregiments。ItmaybewelltomentionherethatthenumberofGermansthroughalltheseWesternStatesisverygreat。

Theirnumberandwell-beingweretomeastonishing。ThattheyformagreatportionofthepopulationofNewYork，makingtheGermanquarterofthatcitythethirdlargestGermantownintheworld，I

havelongknown；butIhadnopreviousideaoftheirexpansionwestward。InDetroitnearlyeverythirdshopboreaGermanname，andthesameremarkwastobemadeatMilwaukee；andonallhandsI

heardpraisesoftheirmorals，oftheirthrift，andoftheirnewpatriotism。IwascontinuallytoldhowfartheyexceededtheIrishsettlers。TomeinallpartsoftheworldanIrishmanisdear。

Whenhandledtenderlyhebecomesacreaturemostlovable。ButwithallmyjudgmentintheIrishman\'sfavor，andwithmyprejudicesleaningthesameway，IfeelmyselfboundtostatewhatIheardandwhatIsawastotheGermans。

ButthisregimentofGermans，andanothernotcompletedregiment，calledfromtheStategenerally，wereasyetwithoutarms，accouterments，orclothing。Therewastherawmaterialoftheregiment，buttherewasnothingelse。Winterwascomingon——winterinwhichthemercuryiscommonlytwentydegreesbelowzero——andthemenwereintentswithnoprovisionagainstthecold。Thesetentsheldeachtwomen，andwerejustlargeenoughfortwotolie。Thecanvasofwhichtheyweremadeseemedtometobethin，butwas，I

think，alwaysdouble。Atthiscamptherewasahouseinwhichthementooktheirmeals，butIvisitedothercampsinwhichtherewasnosuchaccommodation。IsawtheGermanregimentcalledtoitssupperbytuckofdrum，andthemenmarchedingallantly，armedeachwithaknifeandspoon。Imanagedtomakemywayinatthedoorafterthem，andcantestifytotheexcellenceoftheprovisionsofwhichtheirsupperconsisted。ApoordietneverentersintoanycombinationofcircumstancescontemplatedbyanAmerican。Lethimbewherehewill，animalfoodiswithhimthefirstnecessaryoflife，andheisalwaysprovidedaccordingly。AstothoseWisconsinmenwhomIsaw，itwasprobablethattheymightbemarchedoff，downSouthtoWashington，ortothedoubtfulgloriesoftheWesterncampaignunderFremont，beforethewintercommenced。Thesamemighthavebeensaidofanyspecialregiment。

Buttakingthewholemassofmenwhowerecollectedundercanvasattheendoftheautumnof1861，andwhoweresocollectedwithoutarmsormilitaryclothing，andwithoutprotectionfromtheweather，itdidseemthatthetasktakeninhandbytheCommissariatoftheNorthernarmywasonenotdevoidofdifficulty。

TheviewfromMilwaukeeoverLakeMichiganisverypleasing。Onelooksuponavastexpanseofwatertowhichtheeyefindsnobounds，andthereforetherearenoneofthecommonattributesoflakebeauty；butthecolorofthelakeisbright，andwithinawalkofthecitythetravelercomestothebluffsorlowround-toppedhills，fromwhichwecanlookdownupontheshores。ThesebluffsformthebeautyofWisconsinandMinnesota，andrelievetheeyeaftertheflatlevelofMichigan。RoundDetroitthereisnorisingground，andtherefore，perhaps，itisthatDetroitisuninteresting。

IhavesaidthatthosewhoarecalledontolaborintheseStateshavetheirownhardships，andIhaveendeavoredtoexplainwhatarethesufferingstowhichthetownlaborerissubject。Toescapefromthisisthelaborer\'sgreatambition，andhismodeofdoingsoconsistsalmostuniversallyinthepurchaseofland。Hesavesupmoneyinorderthathemaybuyasectionofanallotment，andthusbecomehisownmaster。Allhissavingsaremadewithaviewtothisindependence。Seatedonhisownlandhewillhavetoworkprobablyharderthanever，buthewillworkforhimself。Notask-

mastercanthenstandoverhimandwoundhispridewithharshwords。Hewillbehisownmaster；willeatthefoodwhichhehimselfhasgrown，andliveinthecabinwhichhisownhandshavebuilt。Thisistheobjectofhislife；andtosecurethispositionheiscontenttoworklateandearlyandtoundergotheindignitiesofpreviousservitude。Thegovernmentpriceforlandisaboutfiveshillingsanacre——onedollarandaquarter——andthesettlermaygetitforthispriceifhebecontentedtotakeitnotonlyuntouchedasregardsclearing，butalsofarremovedfromanycompletedroad。ThetrafficintheselandshasbeenthegreatspeculatingbusinessofWesternmen。Fiveorsixyearsago，whentherageforsuchpurchaseswasatitsheight，landwasbecomingascarcearticleinthemarket。Individualsorcompaniesboughtitupwiththeobjectofresellingitataprofit；andmany，nodoubt，didmakemoney。Railwaycompanieswere，infact，companiescombinedforthepurchaseofland。Theypurchasedland，lookingtoincreasethevalueofitfivefoldbytheopeningofarailroad。Itmayeasilybeunderstoodthatarailway，whichcouldnotbeinitselfremunerative，mightinthiswaybecomealucrativespeculation。Nosettlercoulddaretoplacehimselfabsolutelyatadistancefromanythoroughfare。Atfirstthemarginsofnature\'shighways，thenavigableriversandlakes，werecleared。Butastherailwaysystemgrewandexpandeditself，itbecamemanifestthatlandsmightberenderedquicklyavailablewhichwerenotsocircumstancedbynature。AcompanywhichhadpurchasedanenormousterritoryfromtheUnitedStatesgovernmentatfiveshillingsanacremightwellrepayitselfallthecostofarailwaythroughthatterritory，eventhoughthereceiptsoftherailwayshoulddonomorethanmaintainthecurrentexpenses。ItisinthiswaythatthethousandsofmilesofAmericanrailroadshavebeenopened；andhereagainmustbeseentheimmenseadvantageswhichtheStatesasanewcountryhaveenjoyed。Withusthepurchaseofvaluablelandforrailways，togetherwiththelegalexpenseswhichthosecompulsorypurchasesentailed，havebeensogreatthatwithallourtrafficrailwaysarenotremunerative。ButintheStatestherailwayshavecreatedthevalueoftheland。TheStateshavebeenabletobeginattherightend，andtoarrangethatthedistrictswhicharebenefitedshallthemselvespayforthebenefittheyreceive。

Thegovernmentpriceoflandis125cents，oraboutfiveshillingsanacre；andeventhisneednotbepaidatonceifthesettlerpurchasedirectlyfromthegovernment。Hemustbeginbymakingcertainimprovementsontheselectedland——clearingandcultivatingsomesmallportion，buildingahut，andprobablysinkingawell。

Whenthishasbeendone——whenhehasthusgivenapledgeofhisintentionsbydepositingonthelandthevalueofacertainamountoflabor，hecannotberemoved。Hecannotberemovedforatermofyears，andthenifhepaysthepriceofthelanditbecomeshisownwithanindefeasibletitle。Manysuchsettlementsaremadeonthepurchaseofwarrantsforland。SoldiersreturningfromtheMexicanwarsweredonatedwithwarrantsforland——theamountbeing160

acres，orthequarterofasection。Thelocalitiesofsuchlandswerenotspecified，buttheprivilegegrantedwasthatofoccupyinganyquarter-sectionnothithertotenanted。Itwill，ofcourse，beunderstoodthatlandsfavorablysituatedwouldbetenanted。Thosecontiguoustorailwayswereofcoursesooccupied，seeingthatthelineswerenotmadetillthelandswereinthehandsofthecompanies。Itmaythereforebeunderstoodofwhatnaturewouldbethetrafficinthesewarrants。Theownerofasinglewarrantmightfinditofnovaluetohim。Togobackutterlyintothewoods，awayfromriverorroad，andtheretocommencewith160acresofforest，orevenofprairie，wouldbeahopelesstaskeventoanAmericansettler。Somemodeoftransportforhisproducemustbefoundbeforehisproducewouldbeofvalue——before，indeed，hecouldfindthemeansofliving。Butacompanybuyingupalargeaggregateofsuchwarrantswouldpossessthemeansofmakingsuchallotmentsvaluableandofresellingthematgreatlyincreasedprices。

Theprimarysettler，therefore——who，however，willnotusuallyhavebeentheprimaryowner——goestoworkuponhislandamidallthewildnessofnature。Helevelsandburnsthefirsttrees，andraiseshisfirstcropofcornamidstumpsstillstandingfourorfivefeetabovethesoil；buthedoesnotdosotillsomemodeofconveyancehasbeenfoundforhim。SomuchIhavesaidhopingtoexplainthemodeinwhichthefrontierspeculatorpavesthewayforthefrontieragriculturist。Butthepermanentfarmerverygenerallycomesonthelandasthethirdowner。Thefirstsettlerisaroughfellow，andseemstobesoweddedtohisroughlifethatheleaveshislandafterhisfirstwildworkisdone，andgoesagainfartherofftosomeuntouchedallotment。Hefindsthathecansellhisimprovementsataprofitablerateandtakestheprice。

Heisaprepareroffarmsratherthanafarmer。Hehasnoloveforthesoilwhichhishandhasfirstturned。Heregardsitmerelyasaninvestment；andwhenthingsabouthimarebeginningtowearanaspectofcomfort，whenhispropertyhasbecomevaluable，hesellsit，packsuphiswifeandlittleones，andgoesagainintothewoods。TheWesternAmericanhasnoloveforhisownsoilorhisownhouse。Thematterwithhimissimplyoneofdollars。Tokeepafarmwhichhecouldsellatanadvantagefromanyfeelingofaffection——fromwhatweshouldcallanassociationofideas——wouldbetohimasridiculousasthekeepingofafamilypigwouldbeinanEnglishfarmer\'sestablishment。Thepigisapartofthefarmer\'sstockintrade，andmustgothewayofallpigs。AndsoisitwithhouseandlandinthelifeofthefrontiermanintheWesternStates。

Butyetthismanhashisromance，hishighpoeticfeeling，andaboveallhismanlydignity。Visithim，andyouwillfindhimwithoutcoatorwaistcoat，unshorn，inraggedbluetrowsersandoldflannelshirt，toooftenbearingonhislanternjawsthesignsofagueandsickness；buthewillstanduprightbeforeyouandspeaktoyouwithalltheeaseofaletteredgentlemaninhisownlibrary。Alltheodiousincivilityoftherepublicanservanthasbeenbanished。Heishisownmaster，standingonhisownthreshold，andfindsnoneedtoasserthisequalitybyrudeness。

Heisdelightedtoseeyou，andbidsyousitdownonhisbatteredbenchwithoutdreamingofanysuchapologyasanEnglishcottierofferstoaLadyBountifulwhenshecalls。Hehasworkedouthisindependence，andshowsitineveryeasymovementofhisbody。Hetellsyouofitunconsciouslyineverytoneofhisvoice。Youwillalwaysfindinhiscabinsomenewspaper，somebook，sometokenofadvanceineducation。Whenhequestionsyouabouttheoldcountryheastonishesyoubytheextentofhisknowledge。IdefyyounottofeelthatheissuperiortotheracefromwhencehehassprunginEnglandorinIreland。TomeIconfessthatthemanlinessofsuchamanisverycharming。Heisdirty，and，perhaps，squalid。

Hischildrenaresickandheiswithoutcomforts。Hiswifeispale，andyouthinkyouseeshortnessoflifewritteninthefacesofallthefamily。Butoverandaboveitallthereisanindependencewhichsitsgracefullyontheirshoulders，andteachesyouatthefirstglancethatthemanhasarighttoassumehimselftobeyourequal。Itisforthispositionthatthelaborerworks，bearinghardwordsandtheindignityoftyranny；sufferingalsotoooftenthedishonestillusagewhichhissuperiorpowerenablesthemastertoinflict。

“Ihavelivedveryrough，“Iheardapoorwomansay，whosehusbandhadillusedanddesertedher。“Ihaveknownwhatitistobehungryandcold，andtoworkhardtillmyboneshaveached。IonlywishthatImighthavethesamechanceagain。IfIcouldhavetenacresclearedtwomilesawayfromanylivingbeing，Icouldbehappywithmychildren。IfindakindofcomfortwhenIamatworkfromdaybreaktosundown，andknowthatitisallmyown。“I

believethatlifeinthebackwoodshasanallurementtothosewhohavebeenusedtoitthatdwellersincitiescanhardlycomprehend。

FromMilwaukeewewentacrossWisconsin，andreachedtheMississippiatLaCrosse。Fromhence，accordingtoagreement，weweretostartbysteameratonceuptheriver。Butweweredelayedagain，ashadhappenedtousbeforeonLakeMichiganatGrandHaven。

CHAPTERX。

THEUPPERMISSISSIPPI。

IthadbeenpromisedtousthatweshouldstartfromLaCrossebytheriversteamerimmediatelyonourarrivalthere；but，onreachingLaCrosse，wefoundthatthevesseldestinedtotakeusuptheriverhadnotyetcomedown。ShewasbringingaregimentfromMinnesota，and，undersuchcircumstances，somepardonmightbeextendedtoirregularities。Thispleawasmadebyoneoftheboatclerksinaveryhumbletone，andwasfullyacceptedbyus。Thewonderwasthat，atsuchaperiod，allmeansofpublicconveyancewerenotputabsolutelyoutofgear。Onemightsurmisethatwhenregimentswereconstantlybeingmovedforthepurposesofcivilwar——whenthewholeNorthhadbuttheoneobjectofcollectingtogetherasufficientnumberofmentocrushtheSouth——ordinarytravelingforordinarypurposeswouldbedifficult，slow，andsubjecttosuddenstoppages。Such，however，wasnotthecaseeitherintheNorthernorWesternStates。Thetrainsranmuchasusual，andthoseconnectedwiththeboatsandrailwayswerejustasanxiousasevertosecurepassengers。TheboatclerkatLaCrosseapologizedamplyforthedelay；andwesatourselvesdownwithpatiencetoawaitthearrivalofthesecondMinnesotaRegimentonitswaytoWashington。

Duringthefourhoursthatwewerekeptwaitingwewereharboredonboardasmallsteamer；andatabouteleventheterriblyharshwhistlethatismadebytheMississippiboatsinformedusthattheregimentwasarriving。Itcameuptothequayintwosteamers——750

beingbroughtinthatwhichwastotakeusback，and250inasmallerone。Themoonwasverybright，andgreatflamingtorcheswerelitonthevessel\'sside，sothatalltheoperationsofthemenwerevisible。Thetwosteamershadruncloseup，thrustingusawayfromthequayintheirpassage，butdoingitsogentlythatwedidnotevenfeelthemotion。Theselargeboats——andtheirsizemaybeunderstoodfromthefactthatoneofthemhadjustbroughtdown750men——aremovedsoeasilyandsogentlythattheycomeglidinginamongeachotherwithouthesitationandwithoutpause。

OnEnglishwaterswedonotwillinglyrunshipsagainsteachother；

andwhenwedosounwillingly，theybumpandcrushandcrashuponeachother，andtimbersflywhilemenareswearing。Butheretherewasneithercrashingnorswearing；andtheboatsnoiselesslypressedagainsteachotherasthoughtheywerecasedinmuslinandcrinoline。

Igotoutuponthequayandstoodclosebytheplank，watchingeachmanasheleftthevesselandwalkedacrosstowardtherailway。

ThosewhomIhadpreviouslyseenintentswerenotequipped；butthesemenwereinuniform，andeachborehismusket。Takingthemaltogether，theywereasfineasetofmenasIeversawcollected。

Nomancoulddoubt，onseeingthem，thattheyboreontheircountenancesthesignsofhigherbreedingandbettereducationthanwouldbeseeninathousandmenenlistedinEngland。IdonotmeantoarguefromthisthatAmericansarebetterthanEnglish。Idonotmeantoargueherethattheyareevenbettereducated。Myassertiongoestoshowthatthemengenerallyweretakenfromahigherlevelinthecommunitythanthatwhichfillsourownranks。

Itwasamatterofregrettome，hereandonmanysubsequentoccasions，toseemenboundforthreeyearstoserveascommonsoldierswhoweresomanifestlyfittedforabetterandmoreusefullife。Tomeitisalwaysasourceofsorrowtoseeamanenlisted。

Ifeelthattheindividualrecruitisdoingbadlywithhimself——

carryinghimself，andthestrengthandintelligencewhichbelongtohim，toabadmarket。Iknowthattheremustbesoldiers；butastoeveryseparatesoldierIregretthatheshouldbeoneofthem。

Andthehigheristheclassfromwhichsuchsoldiersaredrawn，thegreatertheintelligenceofthemensotobeemployed，thedeeperwithmeisthatfeelingofregret。Butthisstrikesonemuchlessinanoldcountrythaninacountrythatisnew。Intheoldcountriespopulationisthickandfoodsometimesscarce。Mencanbespared；andanyemploymentmaybeserviceable，eventhoughthatemploymentbeinitselfsounproductiveasthatoffightingbattlesorpreparingforthem。ButintheWesternStatesofAmericaeveryarmthatcanguideaplowisofincalculablevalue。MinnesotawasadmittedasaStateaboutthreeyearsbeforethistime，anditswholepopulationisnotmuchabove150，000。Ofthisnumberperhaps40，000maybeworkingmen。AndnowthisinfantState，withitshugeterritoryandscantypopulation，iscalledupontosenditsheart\'sbloodouttothewar。

Andithassentitsheart\'sbestblood。Forththeycame——fine，stalwart，well-grownfellows——looking，tomyeye，asthoughtheyhadasyetbutfaintlyrecognizedthenecessaryseverityofmilitarydiscipline。Tothemhithertothewarhadseemedtobeanarenaonwhicheachmightdosomethingforhiscountrywhichthatcountrywouldrecognize。Tothemselvesasyet——andtomealso——

theywereabandofheroes，tobereducedbythecompressingpowerofmilitarydisciplinetothelowerlevel，butmorenecessaryposition，ofaregimentofsoldiers。Ah，me！howterribletothemhasbeenthebreakingupofthatdelusion！WhenapooryokelinEnglandisenlistedwithashillingandapromiseofunlimitedbeerandglory，onepities，and，ifpossible，wouldsavehim。Butwithhimthemodeoflifetowhichhegoesmaynotbemuchinferiortothatheleaves。Itmaybethatforhimsoldieringisthebesttradepossibleinhiscircumstances。Itmaykeephimfromthehen-

roosts，andperhapsfromhisneighbors\'pantries；anddisciplinemaybegoodforhim。Populationisthickwithus；andtherearemanywhomitmaybewelltocollectandmakeavailableunderthestrictestsurveillance。ButofthesemenwhomIsawenteringontheircareeruponthebanksoftheMississippi，manywerefathersoffamilies，manywereownersoflands，manywereeducatedmencapableofhighaspirations——allwereserviceablemembersoftheirState。TherewereprobablytherenotthreeorfourofwhomitwouldbewellthattheStateshouldberid。Assoldiers，fitorcapableofbeingmadefitforthedutiestheyhadundertaken，I

couldfindbutonefaultwiththem。Theiraverageagewastoohigh。Thereweremenamongthemwithgrizzledbeards，andmanywhohadcountedthirty，thirty-five，andfortyyears。Theyhad，I

believe，devotedthemselveswithatruespiritofpatriotism。Nodoubteachhadsomeulteriorhopeastohimself，ashaseverymortalpatriot。Regulus，whenhereturnedhopelesstoCarthage，trustedthatsomeHoracewouldtellhisstory。EachofthesemenfromMinnesotalookedprobablyforwardtohisreward；buttherewarddesiredwasofahighclass。

Thefirstgreatmiserytobeenduredbytheseregimentswillbethemilitarylessonofobediencewhichtheymustlearnbeforetheycanbeofanyservice。Italwaysseemedtome，whenIcamenearthem，thattheyhadnotasyetrecognizedthenecessaryausterityofanofficer\'sduty。Theirideaofacaptainwasthestageideaofaleaderofdramaticbanditti——amantobefollowedandobeyedasaleader，buttobeobeyedwiththatfreeandeasyobediencewhichisaccordedtothereigningchiefofthefortythieves。“Waal，captain，“Ihaveheardaprivatesaytohisofficer，ashesatononeseatinarailwaycar，withhisfeetuponthebackofanother。

Andthecaptainhaslookedasthoughhedidnotlikeit。Thecaptaindidnotlikeit；butthepoorprivatewasbeingfastcarriedtothatdestinywhichhewouldlikestillless。FromthefirstIhavehadfaithintheNorthernarmy；butfromthefirstI

havefeltthatthesufferingtobeenduredbythesefreeandindependentvolunteerswouldbeverygreat。Aman，tobeavailableasaprivatesoldier，mustbecompressedandbeltedintillhebeamachine。

Assoonasthemenhadleftthevesselwewalkedoverthesideofitandtookpossession。“Iamafraidyourcabinwon\'tbereadyforaquarterofanhour，“saidtheclerk。“Suchabodyofmenasthatwillleavesomedirtafterthem。“Iassuredhim，ofcourse，thatourexpectationsundersuchcircumstanceswereverylimited，andthatIwasfullyawarethattheboatandtheboat\'scompanyweretakenupwithmattersofgreatermomentthanthecarriageofordinarypassengers。Buttothishedemurredaltogether。“Theregimentswereverylittletothem，butoccasionedmuchtrouble。

Everything，however，shouldbesquareinfifteenminutes。“Attheexpirationofthetimenamedthekeyofourstate-roomwasgiventous，andwefoundtheappurtenancesascleanasthoughnosoldierhadeverputhisfootuponthevessel。

FromLaCrossetoSt。Paulthedistanceuptheriverissomethingover200miles；andfromSt。PauldowntoDubuqueinIowa，towhichwewentonourreturn，thedistanceis450miles。Wewere，therefore，foraconsiderabletimeonboardtheseboats——moresothansuchajourneymaygenerallymakenecessary，asweweredelayedatfirstbythesoldiers，andafterwardbyaccidents，suchasthebreakingofapaddle-wheel，andothercauses，towhichnavigationontheUpperMississippiseemstobeliable。Onthewhole，wesleptonboardfournights，andlivedonboardasmanydays。Icannotsaythatthelifewascomfortable，thoughIdonotknowthatitcouldbemademoresobyanycareonthepartoftheboatowners。Myfirstcomplaintwouldbeagainstthegreatheatofthecabins。TheAmericans，asarule，liveinanatmospherewhichisalmostunbearablebyanEnglishman。Tothiscause，Iamconvinced，istobeattributedtheirthinfaces，theirpaleskins，theirunenergetictemperament——unenergeticasregardsphysicalmotion——andtheirearlyoldage。ThewintersarelongandcoldinAmerica，andmechanicalingenuityisfarextended。Thesetwofactstogetherhavecreatedasystemofstoves，hot-airpipes，steamchambers，andheatingapparatussoextensivethat，fromautumntilltheendofspring，allinhabitedroomsarefilledwiththeatmosphereofahotoven。AnEnglishmanfanciesthatheistobebaked，andforawhilefindsitalmostimpossibletoexistintheairpreparedforhim。HowtheheatisengenderedonboardtheriversteamersIdonotknow，butitisengenderedtosogreatadegreethatthesitting-cabinsareunendurable。Thepatientisthereforedrivenoutatallhoursintotheoutsidebalconiesoftheboat，orontothetoproof——foritisaroofratherthanadeck——

andthere，ashepassesthroughtheairattherateoftwentymilesanhour，findshimselfchilledtotheverybones。Thatismyfirstcomplaint。ButastheboatsaremadeforAmericans，andasAmericanslikehotair，Idonotputitforwardwithanyideathatachangeoughttobeeffected。Mysecondcomplaintisequallyunreasonable，andisquiteasincapableofaremedyasthefirst。

Nine-tenthsofthetravelerscarrychildrenwiththem。Theyarenottouristsengagedonpleasureexcursions，butmenandwomenintentonthebusinessoflife。Theyaremovingupanddownlookingforfortuneandinsearchofnewhomes。Ofcoursetheycarrywiththemalltheirhouseholdgoods。DonotletanycriticsaythatIgrudgetheseyoungtravelerstheirrighttolocomotion。

Neithertheirrighttolocomotionisgrudgedbyme，noranyofthoseprivilegeswhichareaccordedinAmericatotherisinggeneration。Thehabitsoftheircountryandthechoiceoftheirparentsgivetothemfulldominionoverallhoursandoverallplaces，anditwouldillbecomeaforeignertomakesuchhabitsandsuchchoiceagroundofseriouscomplaint。But，nevertheless，theuncontrolledenergiesoftwentychildrenroundone\'slegsdonotconveycomfortorhappiness，whenthepassingeventsareproducingnoiseandstormratherthanpeaceandsunshine。ImustprotestthatAmericanbabiesareanunhappyrace。Theyeatanddrinkjustastheyplease；theyareneverpunished；theyareneverbanished，snubbed，andkeptinthebackgroundaschildrenarekeptwithus，andyettheyarewretchedanduncomfortable。MyhearthasbledforthemasIhaveheardthemsquallingbythehourtogetherinagoniesofdiscontentanddyspepsia。Canitbe，Iwonder，thatchildrenarehappierwhentheyaremadetoobeyorders，andaresenttobedatsixo\'clock，thanwhenallowedtoregulatetheirownconduct；

thatbreadandmilkaremorefavorabletolaughterandsoft，childishwaysthanbeef-steaksandpicklesthreetimesaday；thatanoccasionalwhipping，even，willconducetorosycheeks？ItisanideawhichIshouldneverdaretobroachtoanAmericanmother；

butImustconfessthat，aftermytravelsontheWesternContinent，myopinionshaveatendencyinthatdirection。Beef-steaksandpicklescertainlyproducesmartlittlemenandwomen。Letthatbetakenforgranted。Butrosylaughterandwinning，childishwaysare，Ifancy，theproduceofbreadandmilk。ButtherewasathirdreasonwhytravelingontheseboatswasnotsopleasantasIhadexpected。Icouldnotgetmyfellow-travelerstotalktome。Itmustbeunderstoodthatourfellow-travelerswerenotgenerallyofthatclasswhichweEnglishmen，inourpride，designateasgentlemenandladies。Theywerepeople，asIhavesaid，insearchofnewhomesandnewfortunes。ButIprotestthatassuchtheywouldhavebeen，inthoseparts，muchmoreagreeableascompanionstomethananygentlemenoranyladies，ifonlytheywouldhavetalkedtome。Idonotaccusethemofanyincivility。Ifaddressed，theyansweredme。Ifapplicationwasmadebymeforanyspecialinformation，troublewastakentogiveitme。ButIfoundnoaptitude，nowishforconversation——nay，evenadisinclinationtoconverse。IntheWesternStatesIdonotthinkthatIwaseveraddressedfirstbyanAmericansittingnexttomeattable。

Indeed，IneverheldanyconversationatapublictableintheWest。Ihavesatinthesameroomwithmenforhours，andhavenothadawordspokentome。Ihavedonemyverybesttobreakthroughthisice，andhavealwaysfailed。AWesternAmericanmanisnotatalkingman。Hewillsitforhoursoverastove，withacigarinhismouthandhishatoverhiseyes，chewingthecudofreflection。

Adozenwillsittogetherinthesameway，andthereshallnotbeadozenwordsspokenbetweentheminanhour。Withthewomenone\'schanceofconversationisstillworse。Itseemedasthoughthecaresoftheworldhadbeentoomuchforthem，andthatalltalkingexceptingastobusiness——demands，forinstance，ontheservantsforpicklesfortheirchildren——hadgonebytheboard。Theyweregenerallyhard，dry，andmelancholy。Iamspeaking，ofcourse，ofagedfemales——fromfiveandtwenty，perhaps，tothirty——whohadlongsincegivenuptheamusementsandlevitiesoflife。Iverysoonabandonedanyattemptatdrawingawordfromtheseancientmothersoffamilies；butnotthelessdidIponderinmymindoverthecircumstancesoftheirlives。Hadthingsgonewiththemsosadly——wasthestruggleforindependencesohard——thatallthesoftnessofexistencehadbeentroddenoutofthem？Inthecities，too，itwasmuchthesame。Itseemedtomethatafuturemotherofafamily，inthoseparts，hadleftalllaughterbehindherwhensheputoutherfingerfortheweddingring。

ForthesereasonsImustsaythatlifeonboardthesesteamboatswasnotaspleasantasIhadhopedtofindit；butforourdiscomfortinthisrespectwefoundgreatatonementinthescenerythroughwhichwepassed。IprotestthatofalltheriverscenerythatIknowthatoftheUpperMississippiisbyfarthefinestandthemostcontinued。Onethinks，ofcourse，oftheRhine；but，accordingtomyideaofbeauty，theRhineisnothingtotheUpperMississippi。Formilesuponmiles——forhundredsofmiles——thecourseoftheriverrunsthroughlowhills，whicharetherecalledbluffs。Thesebluffsriseineveryimaginableform，lookingsometimeslikelarge，straggling，unwieldycastles，andthenthrowingthemselvesintoslopinglawnswhichstretchbackawayfromtherivertilltheeyeislostintheirtwistsandturnings。

Landscapebeauty，asItakeit，consistsmainlyinfourattributes——

inwater；inbrokenland；inscatteredtimber，timberscatteredasopposedtocontinuousforesttimber；andintheaccidentofcolor。

InalltheseparticularsthebanksoftheUpperMississippicanhardlybebeaten。Therearenohighmountains；buthighmountainsthemselvesaregrandratherthanbeautiful。Therearenohighmountains；butthereisasuccessionofhills，whichgroupthemselvesforeverwithoutmonotony。Itis，perhaps，theever-

variegatedformsofthesebluffswhichchieflyconstitutethewonderfullovelinessofthisriver。Theideaconstantlyoccursthatsomepointoneveryhillsidewouldformthemostcharmingsiteeveryetchosenforanobleresidence。Ihavepassedupanddownriversclothedtotheedgewithcontinuousforest。Thisatfirstisgrandenough，buttheeyeandfeelingsoonbecomeweary。Herethetreesarescatteredsothattheeyepassesthroughthem，andeverandagainalonglawnsweepsbackintothecountryandupthesteepsideofahill，makingthetravelerlongtostaythereandlingerthroughtheoaks，andclimbthebluffs，andlayaboutontheboldbuteasysummits。Theboat，however，steamsquicklyupagainstthecurrent，andthehappyvalleysareleftbehindonequicklyafteranother。Theriverisveryvariousinitsbreadth，andisconstantlydividedbyislands。Itisneversobroadthatthebeautyofthebanksislostinthedistanceorinjuredbyit。

Itisrapid，buthasnotthebeautifullybrightcolorofsomeEuropeanrivers——oftheRhine，forinstance，andtheRhone。Butwhatiswantinginthecolorofthewaterismorethancompensatedbythewonderfulhuesandlusteroftheshores。WevisitedtheriverinOctober，andImustpresumethattheywhoseekitsolelyforthesakeofsceneryshouldgothereinthatmonth。Itwasnotonlythatthefoliageofthetreeswasbrightwitheveryimaginablecolor，butthatthegrasswasbronzedandthattherocksweregolden。Andthisbeautydidnotlastonlyforawhile，andthencease。OntheRhinetherearelovelyspotsandspecialmorselsofscenerywithwhichthetravelerbecomesdulyenraptured。ButontheUpperMississippitherearenospecialmorsels。Thepositionofthesunintheheavenswill，asitalwaysdoes，makemuchdifferenceinthedegreeofbeauty。Thehourbeforeandthehalfhouraftersunsetarealwaystheloveliestforsuchscenes。ButoftheshoresthemselvesonemaydeclarethattheyarelovelythroughoutthosefourhundredmileswhichrunimmediatelysouthfromSt。Paul。

AbouthalfwaybetweenLaCrosseandSt。PaulwecameuponLakePepin，andcontinuedourcourseupthelakeforperhapsfiftyorsixtymiles。Thisexpanseofwaterisnarrowforalake，and，bythosewhoknowthelowercoursesofgreatrivers，wouldhardlybedignifiedbythatname。But，nevertheless，thebreadthherelessensthebeauty。Therearethesamebluffs，thesamescatteredwoodlands，andthesamecolors。Buttheyareeitheratadistance，orelsetheyaretobeseenononesideonly。ThemorethatIseeofthebeautyofscenery，andthemoreIconsideritselements，thestrongerbecomesmyconvictionthatsizehasbutlittletodowithit，andratherdetractsfromitthanaddstoit。Distancegivesoneofitsgreatestcharms，butitdoessobyconcealingratherthandisplayinganexpanseofsurface。Thebeautyofdistancearisesfromtheromance，thefeelingofmysterywhichitcreates。

Itislikethebeautyofwoman，whichalluresthemorethemorethatitisvailed。Butopen，uncoveredlandandwater，mountainswhichsimplyrisetogreatheights，withlong，unbrokenslopes，wideexpansesoflake，andforestswhicharemonotonousintheircontinuedthickness，areneverlovelytome。Alandscapeshouldalwaysbepartlyvailed，anddisplayonlyhalfitscharms。

TomytastethefineststretchoftheriverwasthatimmediatelyaboveLakePepin；butthen，atthispoint，wehadallthegloryofthesettingsun。Itwaslikefairy-land，sobrightwerethegoldenhues，sofantasticweretheshapesofthehills，sobrokenandtwistedthecourseofthewaters！Butthenoisysteamerwentgroaningupthenarrowpassageswithalmostunabatedspeed，andleftthefairylandbehindalltooquickly。Thenthebellwouldringfortea，andthechildrenwiththebeef-steaks，thepickledonions，andthelightfixingswouldallcomeoveragain。Thecare-

ladenmotherswouldtuckthebibsunderthechinsoftheirtyrantchildren，andsomeembryosenatoroffouryearsoldwouldlistenwithconcentratedattentionwhilethenegroservantrecapitulatedtohimthedelicaciesofthesupper-table，inorderthathemightmakehischoicewithdueconsideration。“Beef-steak，“theembryofour-yearoldsenatorwouldlisp，“andstewedpotato，andbutteredtoast，andcorn-cake，andcoffee，——and——and——and——mother，mindyougetmethepickles。“

St。PaulenjoysthedoubleprivilegeofbeingthecommercialandpoliticalcapitalofMinnesota。ThesameisthecasewithBoston，inMassachusetts，butIdonotrememberanotherinstanceinwhichitisso。ItisbuiltontheeasternbankoftheMississippi，thoughthebulkoftheStateliestothewestoftheriver。Itisnoticeableasthespotuptowhichtheriverisnavigable。

ImmediatelyaboveSt。Paultherearenarrowrapidsupwhichnoboatcanpass。Northofthiscontinuousnavigationdoesnotgo；butfromSt。PauldowntoNewOrleansandtheGulfofMexicoitisuninterrupted。ThedistancetoSt。LouisinMissouri，atownbuiltbelowtheconfluenceofthethreerivers，Mississippi，Missouri，andIllinois，is900milesandthenthenavigablewatersdowntotheGulfwashasoutherncountryofstillgreaterextent。Noriveronthefaceoftheglobeformsahighwayfortheproduceofsowideanextentofagriculturalland。TheMississippi，withitstributaries，carriedtomarket，beforethewar，theproduceofWisconsin，Minnesota，Iowa，Illinois，Indiana，Ohio，Kentucky，Tennessee，Missouri，Kansas，Arkansas，Mississippi，andLouisiana。

ThiscountryislargerthanEngland，Ireland，Scotland，Holland，Belgium，France，Germany，andSpaintogether，andisundoubtedlycomposedofmuchmorefertileland。TheStatesnamedcomprisethegreatcentervalleyofthecontinent，andarethefarminglandsandgardengroundsoftheWesternWorld。HewhohasnotseencornonthegroundinIllinoisorMinnesota，doesnotknowtowhatextentthefertilityoflandmaygo，orhowgreatmaybetheweightofcerealcrops。AndforallthistheMississippiwasthehigh-roadtomarket。Whenthecropof1861wasgarnered，thishigh-roadwasstoppedbythewar。WhatsufferingthisentailedontheSouthI

willnotherestoptosay，butontheWesttheeffectwasterrible。

Cornwasinsuchplenty——Indian-corn，thatis，ormaize——thatitwasnotworththefarmer\'swhiletoprepareitformarket。WhenI

wasinIllinois，thesecondqualityofIndian-corn，whenshelled，wasnotworthmorethanfromeighttotencentsabushel。Buttheshellingandpreparationislaborious，andinsomeinstancesitwasfoundbettertoburnitforfuelthantosellit。RespectingtheexportofcornfromtheWest，Imustsayafurtherwordortwointhenextchapter；butitseemedtobeindispensablethatIshouldpointoutherehowgreattotheUnitedStatesistheneedoftheMississippi。Norisitforcornandwheatonlythatitswatersareneeded。Timber，lead，iron，coal，pork——allfind，orshouldfind，theirexittotheworldatlargebythisroad。Therearetownsonit，andonitstributaries，alreadyholdingmorethanonehundredandfiftythousandinhabitants。ThenumberofCincinnatiexceedsthat，asalsodoesthenumberofSt。Louis。UnderthesecircumstancesitisnotwonderfulthattheStatesshouldwishtokeepintheirownhandsthenavigationofthisriver。

Itisnotwonderful。Butitwillnot，Ithink，beadmittedbythepoliticiansoftheworldthatthenavigationoftheMississippineedbeclosedagainsttheWest，eventhoughtheSouthernStatesshouldsucceedinraisingthemselvestothepoweranddignityofaseparatenationality。IfthewatersoftheDanubebenotopentoAustria，itisthroughthefaultofAustria。Thatthesubjectwillbeoneoftrouble，nomancandoubt；andofcourseitwouldbewellfortheNorthtoavoidthat，oranyothertrouble。Inthemeantimetheimportanceofthisrightofwaymustbeadmitted；anditmustbeadmitted，also，thatwhatevermaybetheultimateresolveoftheNorth，itwillbeverydifficulttoreconciletheWesttoadivideddominionoftheMississippi。

St。Paulcontainsabout14，000inhabitants，and，likeallotherAmericantowns，isspreadoverasurfaceofgroundadaptedtotheaccommodationofaveryextendedpopulation。Asitisbeltedononesidebytheriver，andontheotherbythebluffswhichaccompanythecourseoftheriver，thesiteispretty，andalmostromantic。Herealsowefoundagreathotel，ahuge，squarebuilding，suchasweinEnglandmightperhapsplaceneartoarailwayterminusinsuchacityasGlasgoworManchester，butonwhichnolivingEnglishmanwouldexpendhismoneyinatownevenfivetimesasbigagainasSt。Paul。Everythingwassufficientlygood，andmuchmorethansufficientlyplentiful。ThewholethingwentonexactlyashotelsdodowninMassachusettsortheStateofNewYork。LookatthemapandseewhereSt。Paulis。Itsdistancefromallknowncivilization——allcivilizationthathassucceededinobtainingacquaintancewiththeworldatlarge——isverygreat。

EvenAmericantravelersdonotgoupthereingreatnumbers，exceptingthosewhointendtosettlethere。Astraysportsmanortwo，AmericanorEnglish，asthecasemaybe，makeshiswayintoMinnesotaforthesakeofshooting，andpushesonupthroughSt。

PaultotheRedRiver。SomefewadventurousspiritsvisittheIndiansettlements，andpassoverintotheunsettledregionsofDacotahandWashingtonTerritory。Butthereisnothrongoftraveling。Nevertheless，ahotelhasbeenbuilttherecapableofholdingthreehundredguests，andotherhotelsexistintheneighborhood，oneofwhichisevenlargerthanthatatSt。Paul。

Whocancometothem，andcreateevenahopethatsuchanenterprisemayberemunerative？InAmericaitisseldommorethanhope，foronealwayshearsthatsuchenterprisesfail。

WhenIwastherethewarwasinhand，anditwashardlytobeexpectedthatanyhotelshouldsucceed。Thelandlordtoldmethathehelditatthepresenttimeforaverylowrent，andthathecouldjustmanagetokeepitopenwithoutloss。Thewarwhichhinderedpeoplefromtraveling，andinthatwayinjuredtheinnkeepers，alsohinderedpeoplefromhousekeeping，andreducedthemtothenecessityofboardingout，bywhichtheinnkeeperswereofcoursebenefited。AtSt。PaulIfoundthatthemajorityoftheguestswereinhabitantsofthetown，boardingatthehotel，andthusdispensingwiththecaresofaseparateestablishment。IdonotknowwhatwaschargedforsuchaccommodationatSt。Paul，butI

havecomeacrosslargehousesatwhichasinglemancouldgetallthatherequiredforadollaraday。NowAmericansaregreatconsumers，especiallyathotels，andallthatamanrequiresincludesthreehotmeals，withachoicefromabouttwodozendishesateach。

FromSt。Paultherearetwowaterfallstobeseen，whichwe，ofcourse，visited。WecrossedtheriveratFortSnelling，arickety，ill-conditionedbuildingstandingattheconfluenceoftheMinnesotaandMississippiRivers，builttheretorepresstheIndians。Itis，Itakeit，verynecessary，especiallyatthepresentmoment，astheIndiansseemtorequirerepressing。TheyhavelearnedthattheattentionoftheFederalgovernmenthasbeencalledtothewar，andhavebecomeboldinconsequence。WhenIwasatSt。PaulIheardofapartyofEnglishmenwhohadbeenrobbedofeverythingtheypossessed，andwasinformedthatthefarmersinthedistantpartsoftheStatewerebynomeanssecure。TheIndiansaremoretobepitiedthanthefarmers。Theyareturningagainstenemieswhowillneitherforgivenorforgetanyinjuriesdone。

Whenthewarisovertheywillbeimproved，andpolished，andannexed，tillnoIndianwillholdanacreoflandinMinnesota。AtpresentFortSnellingisthenucleusofarecruitingcamp。Onthepointbetweenthebluffsofthetworiversthereisaplain，immediatelyinfrontofthefort，andtherewesawthenewly-joinedMinnesotarecruitsgoingthroughtheirfirstmilitaryexercises。

Theywereindetachmentsoftwenties，andwererudeenoughattheirgoosestep。ThematterwhichstruckmemostinlookingatthemwasthedifferenceofconditionwhichIobservedinthemen。Therewerethecountrylads，freshfromthefarms，suchasweseefollowingtherecruitingsergeantthroughEnglishtowns；buttherewerealsomeninblackcoatsandblacktrowsers，withthinboots，andtrimmedbeards——beardswhichhadbeentrimmedtillverylately；

andsomeofthemwithbeardswhichshowedthattheywerenolongeryoung。Itwasinexpressiblymelancholytoseesuchmenasthesetwistingandturningaboutatthecorporal\'sword，eachhandlingsomestickinhishandinlieuofweapon。Ofcourse，theyweremoreawkwardthantheboys，eventhoughtheyweretwicemoreassiduousintheirefforts。Ofcourse，theyweresadandwretched。

Isawmentherethatwereverywretched——allbutheart-broken，ifonemightjudgefromtheirfaces。Theyshouldnothavebeentherehandlingsticks，andmovingtheirunaccustomedlegsincrampedpaces。Theywereasrazors，forwhichnobetterpurposecouldbefoundthanthecuttingofblocks。Whensuchattemptsaremadetheblockisnotcut，buttherazorisspoiled。Mostunfitforthecommencementofasoldier\'slifeweresomethatIsawthere，butI

donotdoubtthattheyhadbeenattractedtotheworkbytheoneideaofdoingsomethingfortheircountryinitstrouble。

FromFortSnellingwewentontotheFallsofMinnehaha。

Minnehaha，laughingwater。Such，Ibelieve，istheinterpretation。

Thenameinthiscaseismoreimposingthanthefall。Itisaprettylittlecascade，andmightdoforapicnicinfineweather，butitisnotawaterfallofwhichamancanmakemuchwhenfoundsofarawayfromhome。GoingonfromMinnehahawecametoMinneapolis，atwhichplacethereisafinesuspensionbridgeacrosstheriver，justabovethefallsofSt。Anthonyandleadingtothetownofthatname。TillIgotthereIcouldhardlybelievethatinthesedaysthereshouldbealivingvillagecalledMinneapolisbylivingmen。IpresumeIshoulddescribeitasatown，forithasamunicipality，andapost-office，and，ofcourse，alargehotel。Theinterestoftheplace，however，isinthesaw-

mills。Ontheoppositesideofthewater，atSt。Anthony，isanotherverylargehotel——andalsoasmallerone。Thesmalleronemaybeaboutthesizeofthefirst-classhotelsatCheltenhamorLeamington。Theywerebothclosed，andthereseemedtobebutlittleprospectthateitherwouldbeopenedtillthewarshouldbeover。Thesaw-mills，however，wereatfullwork，andtomyeyeswereextremelypicturesque。Ihadbeentoldthatthebeautyofthefallshadbeendestroyedbythemills。Indeed，allwhohadspokentomeaboutSt。Anthonyhadsaidso。ButIdidnotagreewiththem。Here，asatOttawa，thecharminfactconsists，notinanuninterruptedshootofwater，butinasuccessionofrapidsoverabedofbrokenrocks。Amongtheserockslogsofloosetimberarecaught，whichhaveescapedfromtheirpropercourses，andheretheylie，heapedupinsomeplaces，andconstructingthemselvesintobridgesinothers，tillthefreshetsofthespringcarrythemoff。

ThetimberisgenerallybroughtdowninlogstoSt。Anthony，issawnthere，andthensentdowntheMississippiinlargerafts。

Theseraftsonotherriversare，Ithink，generallymadeofunsawntimber。Suchlogsashaveescapedinthemannerabovedescribedarerecognizedontheirpassagedowntheriverbytheirmarks，andaremadeupseparately，theoriginalownersreceivingthevalue——ornotreceivingitasthecasemaybe。“Thereisquiteatradegoingonwiththelooselumber，“myinformanttoldme。AndfromhistoneIwasledtosupposethatheregardedthetradeassufficientlylucrative，ifnotpeculiarlyhonest。

Thereisverymuchinthemodeoflifeadoptedbythesettlersintheseregionswhichcreatesadmiration。Thepeopleareallintelligent。Theyareenergeticandspeculative，conceivinggrandideas，andcarryingthemoutalmostwiththerapidityofmagic。A

suspensionbridgehalfamilelongiserected，whileinEnglandweshouldbefasteningtogetherafewplanksforafootpassage。

Progress，mentalaswellasmaterial，isthedemandofthepeoplegenerally。Everybodyunderstandseverything，andeverybodyintendssoonerorlatertodoeverything。Allthisisverygrand；butthenthereisaterribledrawback。Onehearsoneverysideofintelligence，butonehearsalsooneverysideofdishonesty。Talktowhomyouwill，ofwhomyouwill，andyouwillhearsometaleofsuccessfulorunsuccessfulswindling。ItseemstobetherecognizedruleofcommerceinthefarWestthatmenshallgointotheworld\'smarketspreparedtocheatandtobecheated。Itmaybesaidthataslongasthisisacknowledgedandunderstoodonallsides，noharmwillbedone。Itisequallyfairforall。WhenI

wasachildthereusedtobecertaingamesatwhichitwasagreedinbeginningeitherthatthereshouldbecheatingorthatthereshouldnot。ItmaybesaidthatoutthereintheWesternStates，menagreetoplaythecheatinggame；andthatthecheatinggamehasmoreofinterestinitthantheother。Unfortunately，however，theywhoagreetoplaythisgameonalargescaledonotkeepoutsidersaltogetheroutoftheplayground。Indeed，outsidersbecomeverywelcometothem；andthenitisnotpleasanttohearthetoneinwhichsuchoutsidersspeakofthepeculiaritiesofthesporttowhichtheyhavebeenintroduced。Whenabeginnerintradefindshimselffurnishedwithabarrelofwoodennutmegs，thejokeisnotsogoodtohimastotheexperiencedmerchantwhosupplieshim。Thisdealinginwoodennutmegs，thissellingofthingswhichdonotexist，andbuyingofgoodsforwhichnopriceisevertobegiven，isaninstitutionwhichismuchhonoredintheWest。Wecallitswindling——andsodothey。ButitseemedtomethatintheWesternStatesthewordhardlyseemedtoleavethesameimpressonthemindthatitdoeselsewhere。

OnourreturndowntheriverwepassedLaCrosse，atwhichwehadembarked，andwentdownasfarasDubuqueinIowa。Onourwaydownwecametogriefandbrokeoneofourpaddle-wheelstopieces。Wehadnospecialaccident。Westruckagainstnothingaboveorbelowwater。Butthewheelwenttopieces，andwelaidtoontheriversideforthegreaterpartofadaywhilethenecessaryrepairswerebeingmade。Delayintravelingisusuallyanannoyance，becauseitcausestheunsettlementofasettledpurpose。Butthelossofthedaydidusnoharm，andouraccidenthadhappenedataveryprettyspot。Iclimbeduptothetopofthenearestbluff，andwalkedbacktillIcametotheopencountry，andalsowentupanddowntheriverbanks，visitingthecabinsoftwosettlerswholivetherebysupplyingwoodtotheriversteamers。Oneofthesewasclosetothespotatwhichwewerelying；andyetthoughmostofourpassengerscameonshore，Iwastheonlyonewhospoketotheinmatesofthecabin。Thesepeoplemustlivetherealmostindesolationfromoneyear\'sendtoanother。Onceinafortnightorsotheygouptoamarkettownintheirsmallboats，butbeyondthattheycanhavelittleintercoursewiththeirfellow-creatures。

Neverthelessnoneofthesedwellersbytheriversidecameouttospeaktothemenandwomenwhowereloungingaboutfromeleveninthemorningtillfourintheafternoon；nordidoneofthepassengers，exceptmyself，knockatthedoororenterthecabin，orexchangeawordwiththosewholivedthere。

Ispoketothemasterofthehouse，whomImetoutside，andheatonceaskedmetocomeinandsitdown。Ifoundhisfatherthereandhismother，hiswife，hisbrother，andtwoyoungchildren。Thewife，whowascooking，wasaverypretty，paleyoungwoman，who，however，couldhavecirculatedroundherstovemoreconvenientlyhadhercrinolinebeenoflessdimensions。Shebademewelcomeveryprettily，andwentonwithhercooking，talkingthewhile，asthoughshewereinthehabitofentertainingguestsinthatwaydaily。Theoldwomansatinacornerknitting——asoldwomenalwaysdo。Theoldmanloungedwithagrandchildonhisknee，andthemasterofthehousethrewhimselfonthefloorwhiletheotherchildcrawledoverhim。Therewasnostiffnessoruneasinessintheirmanners，norwasthereanythingapproachingtothatrepublicanroughnesswhichsooftenoperatesuponapoor，well-

intendingEnglishmanlikeaslaponthecheek。Isatthereforaboutanhour，andwhenIhaddiscussedwiththemEnglishpoliticsandthebearingofEnglishpoliticsupontheAmericanwar，theytoldmeoftheirownaffairs。Foodwasveryplenty，butlifewasveryhard。Taketheyearthrough，eachmancouldnotearnabovehalfadollaradaybycuttingwood。This，however，theyowned，didnottakeupalltheirtime。Workingonfavorablewoodonfavorabledaystheycouldeachearntwodollarsaday；butthesefavorablecircumstancesdidnotcometogetherveryoften。Theydidnotdealwiththeboatsthemselves，andtheprofitswereeatenupbythemiddleman。He，themiddleman，hadagoodthingofit，becausehecouldcheatthecaptainsoftheboatsinthemeasurementofthewood。Thechopperwasobligedtosupplyagenuinecordoflogs——truemeasure。Butthemanwhotookitoffinthebargetothesteamercouldsopackitthatfifteentruecordswouldmaketwenty-twofalsecords。“Itcutsupintoafinetrade，yousee，sir，“saidtheyoungman，ashestrokedbackthelittlegirl\'shairfromherforehead。“Butthecaptainsofcoursemustfinditout，“

saidI。Thisheacknowledged，butarguedthatthecaptainsonthisaccountinsistedonbuyingthewoodsomuchcheaper，andthatthelossallcameuponthechopper。Itriedtoteachhimthattheremedylayinhisownhands，andthethreemenlistenedtomequitepatientlywhileIexplainedtothemhowtheyshouldcarryontheirowntrade。Buttheyoungfatherhadthelastword。“Iguesswedon\'tgetabovethefiftycentsadayanyway。“Heknewatleastwheretheshoepinchedhim。Hewasahandsome，manly，noble-

lookingfellow，tallandthin，withblackhairandbrighteyes。

Buthehadthehollowlookabouthisjaws，andsohadhiswife，andsohadhisbrother。Theyallownedtofeverandague。Theyhadatouchofitmostyears，andsometimesprettysharply。“Itwasacoarseplacetolivein，“theoldwomansaid，“buttherewasnoonetomeddlewiththem，andsheguessedthatitsuited。“Theyhadbooksandnewspapers，tidydelf，andcleanglassupontheirshelves，andundoubtedlyprovisionsinplenty。Whetherfeverandagueyearly，andcordsofwoodstretchedfromfifteentotwenty-twoaremorethanaset-offforthesegoodthings，Iwillleaveeveryonetodecideaccordingtohisowntaste。

InanothercabinIfoundwomenandchildrenonly，andoneofthechildrenwasinthelaststageofillness。Butneverthelessthewomanofthehouseseemedgladtoseeme，andtalkedcheerfullyaslongasIwouldremain。Sheinquiredwhathadhappenedtothevessel，butithadneveroccurredtohertogooutandsee。Hercabinwasneatandwellfurnished，andtherealsoIsawnewspapersandHarper\'severlastingmagazine。Shesaiditwasacoarse，desolateplaceforliving，butthatshecouldraisealmostanythinginhergarden。

Icouldnotthenunderstand，norcanInowunderstand，whynoneofthenumerouspassengersoutoftheboatshouldhaveenteredthosecabinsexceptmyself，andwhytheinmatesofthecabinsshouldnothavecomeouttospeaktoanyone。Hadtheybeensurly，morosepeople，madesilentbythespecialtiesoftheirlife，itwouldhavebeenexplicable；buttheyweredelightedtotalkandtolisten。

Thefact，Itakeit，isthatthepeopleareallharshtoeachother。Theydonotcaretogooutoftheirwaytospeaktoanyoneunlesssomethingistobegained。TheysaythattwoEnglishmenmeetinginthedesertwouldnotspeakunlesstheywereintroduced。

ThefartherItravelthelesstruedoIfindthisofEnglishmen，andthemoretrueofotherpeople。

CHAPTERXI。

CERESAMERICANA。

WestoppedattheJulienHouse，Dubuque。DubuqueisacityinIowa，onthewesternshoreoftheMississippi，andasthenamesbothofthetownandofthehotelsoundedFrenchinmyears，I

askedforanexplanation。IwasthentoldthatJulienDubuque，aCanadianFrenchman，hadbeenburiedononeofthebluffsoftheriverwithintheprecinctsofthepresenttown；thathehadbeenthefirstwhitesettlerinIowa，andhadbeentheonlymanwhohadeverprevailedupontheIndianstowork。Amongthemhehadbecomeagreat“Medicine，“andseemsforawhiletohavehadabsolutepoweroverthem。Hedied，Ithink，in1800，andwasburiedononeofthehillsovertheriver。“Hewasabold，badman，“myinformanttoldme，“andcommittedeverysinunderheaven。ButhemadetheIndianswork。“

LeadminesarethegloryofDubuque，andverylargesumsofmoneyhavebeenmadefromthem。Iwastakenouttoseeoneofthem，andtogodownit；butwefound，notaltogethertomysorrow，thattheworkshadbeenstoppedonaccountofthewater。Noefforthasbeenmadeinanyoftheseminestosubduethewater，norhassteambeenappliedtotheworkingofthem。Thelodeshavebeensorichwithleadthatthespeculatorshavebeencontenttotakeoutthemetalthatwaseasilyreached，andtogooffinsearchoffreshgroundwhendisturbedbywater。“Andarewagesherepaidprettypunctually？“Iasked。“Well，amanhastobesmart，youknow。“

Andthenmyfriendwentontoacknowledgethatitwouldbebetterforthecountryifsmartnesswerenotsoessential。

Iowahasapopulationof674，000souls，andinOctober，1861，hadalreadymusteredeighteenregimentsofonethousandmeneach。Suchapopulationwouldgiveprobably170，000mencapableofbearingarms，andthereforethenumberofsoldierssenthadalreadyamountedtomorethanadecimationoftheavailablestrengthoftheState。WhenwewereatDubuque，nothingwastalkedofbutthearmy。Itseemedthatmines，coal-pits，andcorn-fieldswereallofnoaccountincomparisonwiththewar。HowmanyregimentscouldbesqueezedoutoftheState，wastheonequestionwhichfilledallminds；andthegeneraldesirewasthatsuchregimentsshouldbesenttotheWesternarmy，toswellthetriumphwhichwasstillexpectedforGeneralFremont，andtoassistinsweepingslaveryoutintotheGulfofMexico。ThepatriotismoftheWesthasbeenquiteaskeenasthatoftheNorth，andhasproducedresultsasmemorable；butithassprungfromadifferentsource，andbeenconductedandanimatedbyadifferentsentiment。NationalgreatnessandsupportofthelawhavebeentheideaoftheNorth；

nationalgreatnessandabolitionofslaveryhavebeenthoseoftheWest。HowtheyaretoagreeastotermswhenbetweenthemtheyhavecrushedtheSouth——thatisthedifficulty。

AtDubuqueinIowa，IatethebestapplethatIeverencountered。

ImakethatstatementwiththepurposeofdoingjusticetotheAmericansonamatterwhichistothemoneofconsiderableimportance。Americans，asrule，donotbelieveinEnglishapples。

Theydeclarethattherearenone，andreceiveaccountsofDevonshireciderwithmanifestincredulity。“ButatanyratetherearenoapplesinEnglandequaltoours。“ThatisanassertiontowhichanEnglishmaniscalledupontogiveanabsoluteassent；andIherebygiveit。ApplessoexcellentassomewhichweregiventousatDubuqueIhavenevereateninEngland。Thereisagreatjealousyrespectingallthefruitsoftheearth。“Yourpeachesarefinetolookat，“wassaidtome，“buttheyhavenoflavor。“Thiswastheassertionofalady，andImadenoanswer。MyideahadbeenthatAmericanpeacheshadnoflavor；thatFrenchpeacheshadnone；thatthoseofItalyhadnone；thatlittleastheremightbeofwhichEnglandcouldboastwithtruth，shemightatanyrateboastofherpeacheswithoutfearofcontradiction。Indeed，myideahadbeenthatgoodpeachesweretobegotinEnglandonly。I

ambeginningtodoubtwhethermybeliefonthematterhasnotbeentheproductofinsularignoranceandidolatrousself-worship。Itmaybethatapeachshouldbeacombinationofanappleandaturnip。“Mygreatobjectiontoyourcountry，sir，“saidanother，“isthatyouhavegotnovegetables。“Hadhetoldmethatwehadgotnosea-board，ornocoals，hewouldnothavesurprisedmemore。

NovegetablesinEngland！Icouldnotrestrainmyselfaltogether，andrepliedbyaconfession“thatwe\'raised\'nosquash。“Squashisthepulpofthepumpkin，andismuchusedintheStates，bothasavegetableandforpies。NovegetablesinEngland！Didmysurprisearisefromtheinsularignoranceandidolatrousself-

worshipofaBritisher，orwasmyAmericanfriendlaboringunderadelusion？IsCoventGardenwellsuppliedwithvegetables，orisitnot？Dowecultivateourkitchen-gardenswithsuccess，oramI

underadelusiononthatsubject？DoIdream，orisittruethatoutofmyownlittlepatchesathomeIhaveenough，foralldomesticpurposes，ofpeas，beans，broccoli，cauliflower，celery，beet-root，onions，carrots，parsnips，turnips，sea-kale，asparagus，Frenchbeans，artichokes，vegetablemarrow，cucumbers，tomatoes，endive，lettuce，aswellasherbsofmanykinds，cabbagesthroughouttheyear，andpotatoes？Novegetables！HadthegentlemantoldmethatEnglanddidnotsuithimbecausewehadnothingbutvegetables，Ishouldhavebeenlesssurprised。

FromDubuque，onthewesternshoreoftheriver，wepassedovertoDunleath，inIllinois，andwentonfromthencebyrailwaytoDixon。

IwasinducedtovisitthisnotveryflourishingtownbyadesiretoseetherollingprairieofIllinois，andtolearnbyeyesightsomethingofthecropsofcornorIndianmaizewhichareproducedupontheland。HadthatgentlemantoldmethatweknewnothingofproducingcorninEngland，hewouldhavebeennearerthemark；forofcorn，intheprofusioninwhichitisgrownhere，wedonotknowmuch。BetterlandthantheprairiesofIllinoisforcerealcropstheworld\'ssurfaceprobablycannotshow。Andheretherehasbeennonecessityforthelongpreviouslaborofbanishingtheforest。

EnormousprairiesstretchacrosstheState，intowhichtheplowcanbeputatonce。Theearthisrichwiththevegetationofthousandsofyears，andthefarmer\'sreturnisgiventohimwithoutdelay。

Thelandburstswithitsownproduce，andtheplentyissuchthatitcreateswastefulcarelessnessinthegatheringofthecrop。Itisnotworthaman\'swhiletohandlelessthanlargequantities。

UpinMinnesotaIhadbeengrievedbytheloosemannerinwhichwheatwastreated。Ihaveseenbagsofitupsetandleftupontheground。Thelaborofcollectingitwasmorethanitwasworth。

Therewheatisthechiefcrop，andasthelandsbecomeclearedandcultivationspreadsitself，theamountcomingdowntheMississippiwillbeincreasedalmosttoinfinity。ThepriceofwheatinEuropewillsoondepend，notuponthevalueofthewheatinthecountrywhichgrowsit，butonthepowerandcheapnessofthemodeswhichmayexistfortransportingit。IhavenotbeenabletoobtaintheexactpriceswithreferencetothecarriageofwheatfromSt。Paul(thecapitalofMinnesota)toLiverpool，butIhavedonesoasregardsIndian-cornfromtheStateofIllinois。Thefollowingstatementwillshowwhatproportionthevalueofthearticleattheplaceofitsgrowthbearstothecostofthecarriage；anditshowsalsohowenormousaneffectonthepriceofcorninEnglandwouldfollowanyseriousdecreaseinthecostofcarriage:——

AbushelofIndian-cornatBloomington，inIllinois，cost，inOctober，186110cents。

FreighttoChicago10“

Storage2“

FreightfromChicagotoBuffalo22“

Elevating，andcanalfreighttoNewYork19“

TransferinNewYorkandinsurance3“

Oceanfreight23“——

CostofabushelofIndian-cornatLiverpool89cents。

ThuscornwhichinLiverpoolcosts3s。l0d。hasbeensoldbythefarmerwhoproduceditfor5d。！Itisprobablethatnogreatreductioncanbeexpectedinthecostofoceantransit；butitwillbeseenbytheabovefiguresthatoutoftheLiverpoolpriceof3s。

l0d。，or89cents，considerablymorethanhalfispaidforcarriageacrosstheUnitedStates。Allornearlyallthistransitisbywater；andtherecan，Ithink，benodoubtbutthatafewyearswillseeitreducedbyfiftypercent。InOctoberlasttheMississippiwasclosed，therailwayshadnotrollingstocksufficientfortheirwork，thecropsofthetwolastyearshadbeenexcessive，andthereexistedthenecessityofsendingoutthecornbeforetheinternalnavigationhadbeenclosedbyfrost。Thepartieswhohadthetransitintheirhandsputtheirheadstogether，andwereabletodemandanypricesthattheypleased。ItwillbeseenthatthecostofcarryingabushelofcornfromChicagotoBuffalo，bythelakes，waswithinonecentofthecostofbringingitfromNewYorktoLiverpool。Thesetemporarycausesforhighpricesoftransitwillcease；amoreperfectsystemofcompetitionbetweentherailwaysandthewatertransitwillbeorganized；andtheresultmustnecessarilybebothanincreaseofpricetotheproducerandadecreaseofpricetotheconsumer。ItcertainlyseemsthattheproduceofcerealcropsinthevalleysoftheMississippianditstributariesincreasesatafasterratethanpopulationincreases。Wheatandcornaresownbythethousandacresinapiece。Iheardofonefarmerwhohad10，000acresofcorn。ThirtyyearsagograinandflourweresentWestwardoutoftheStateofNewYorktosupplythewantsofthosewhohadimmigratedintotheprairies；andnowwefindthatitwillbethedestinyofthoseprairiestofeedtheuniverse。ChicagoisthemainpointofexportationNorthwestwardfromIllinois，andatthepresenttimesendsoutfromitsgranariesmorecerealproducethananyothertownintheworld。Thebulkofthispasses，intheshapeofgrainorflour，fromChicagotoBuffalo，whichlatterplaceis，asitwere，agatewayleadingfromthelakes，orbigwaters，tothecanals，orsmallwaters。IgivebelowtheamountofgrainandflourinbushelsreceivedintoBuffalofortransitinthemonthofOctoberduringfourconsecutiveyears:——

October，18584，429，055bushels。

“18595，523，448“

“18606，500，864“

“186112，483，797“

In1860，fromtheopeningtothecloseofnavigation，30，837，632

bushelsofgrainandflourpassedthroughBuffalo。In1861，theamountreceiveduptothe31stofOctoberwas51，969，142bushels。

AsthenavigationwouldbeclosedduringthemonthofNovember，theabovefiguresmaybetakenasrepresentingnotquitethewholeamounttransportedfortheyear。Itmaybepresumedthe52，000，000

ofbushels，asquotedabove，willswellitselfto60，000，000。I

confessthattomyownmindstatisticalamountsdonotbringhomeanyenduringidea。Fiftymillionbushelsofcornandfloursimplyseemstomeanagreatdeal。Itisapowerfulformofsuperlative，andsoonvanishesaway，asdoothersuperlativesinthisageofstrongwords。IwasatChicagoandatBuffaloinOctober，1861。I

wentdowntothegranariesandclimbedupintotheelevators。I

sawthewheatrunninginriversfromonevesselintoanother，andfromtherailroadvansupintothehugebinsonthetopstoresofthewarehouses——fortheseriversoffoodrunuphillaseasilyastheydodown。Isawthecornmeasuredbytheforty-bushelmeasurewithasmucheaseaswemeasureanounceofcheeseandwithgreaterrapidity。Iascertainedthattheworkwenton，weekdayandSunday，dayandnight，incessantly——riversofwheatandriversofmaizeeverrunning。Isawthemenbathedincornastheydistributeditinitsflow。Isawbinsbythescoreladenwithwheat，ineachofwhichbinstherewasspaceforacomfortableresidence。Ibreathedtheflouranddranktheflour，andfeltmyselftobeenvelopedinaworldofbreadstuff。AndthenI

believed，understood，andbroughtithometomyselfasafactthathereinthecorn-landsofMichigan，andamidthebluffsofWisconsin，andonthehightableplainsofMinnesota，andtheprairiesofIllinoishadGodpreparedthefoodfortheincreasingmillionsoftheEasternWorld，asalsoforthecomingmillionsoftheWestern。

Idonotfindmanymindsconstitutedlikemyown，andthereforeI

venturetopublishtheabovefigures。Ibelievethemtobetrueinthemain；andtheywillshow，ifcredited，thattheincreaseduringthelastfouryearshasgoneonwithmorethanfabulousrapidity。

Formyself，IownthatthosefigureswouldhavedonenothingunlessIhadvisitedthespotmyself。Amancannot，perhapscountuptheresultsofsuchaworkbyaquickglanceofhiseye，norcommunicatewithprecisiontoanothertheconvictionwhichhisownshortexperiencehasmadesostrongwithinhimself；buttohimselfseeingisbelieving。TomeitwassoatChicagoandatBuffalo。I

beganthentoknowwhatitwasforacountrytooverflowwithmilkandhoney，toburstwithitsownfruitsandbesmotheredbyitsownriches。FromSt。PauldowntheMississippi，bytheshoresofWisconsinandIowa；bytheportsonLakePepin；byLaCrosse，fromwhichonerailwayrunsEastward；byPrairieduChien，theterminusofasecond；byDunleath，Fulton，andRockIsland，fromwhencethreeotherlinesrunEastward；allthroughthatwonderfulStateofIllinois，thefarmer\'sglory；alongtheportsoftheGreatLakes；

throughMichigan，Indiana，Ohio，andfurtherPennsylvania，uptoBuffalo？thegreatgateoftheWesternCeres，theloudcrywasthis:“Howshallweridourselvesofourcornandwheat？“Theresulthasbeenthepassageof60，000，000bushelsofbreadstuffsthroughthatgateinoneyear！Letthosewhoaresusceptibleofstatisticsponderthat。ForthemwhoarenotIcanonlygivethisadvice:LetthemgotoBuffalonextOctober，andlookforthemselves。

Inregardingtheabovefigures，andtheincreaseshownbetweentheyears1860and1861，itmustofcoursebeborneinmindthat，duringthelatterautumn，nocornorwheatwascarriedintotheSouthernStates，andthatnonewasexportedfromNewOrleansorthemouthoftheMississippi。TheStatesofMississippi，Alabama，andLouisianahaveforsometimepastreceivedmuchoftheirsuppliesfromtheNorthwesternlands；andthecuttingoffofthiscurrentofconsumptionhastendedtoswelltheamountofgrainwhichhasbeenforcedintothenarrowchannelofBuffalo。TherehasbeennoSouthernexitallowed，andtheSouthernappetitehasbeendeprivedofitsfood。Buttakingthisitemforallthatitisworth——ortakingit，asitgenerallywillbetaken，formuchmorethanitcanbeworth——theresultleftwillbemateriallythesame。ThegrandmarketstowhichtheWesternStateslookandhavelookedarethoseofNewEngland，NewYork，andEurope。AlreadycornandwheatarenotthecommoncropsofNewEngland。Boston，andHartford，andLowellarefedfromthegreatWesternStates。TheStateofNewYork，which，thirtyyearsago，wasfamouschieflyforitscerealproduce，isnowfedfromtheseStates。NewYorkCitywouldbestarvedifitdependedonitsownState；anditwillsoonbeastruethatEnglandwouldbestarvedifitdependedonitself。Itwasbuttheotherdaythatweweretalkingoffreetradeincornasathingdesirable，butasyetdoubtful——buttheotherdaythatLordDerby，whomaybePrimeMinisterto-morrow，andMr。Disraeli，whomaybeChancelloroftheExchequerto-morrow，werestoutlyofopinionthatthecornlawsmightbeandshouldbemaintained——buttheotherdaythatthesameopinionwasheldwithconfidencebySirRobertPeel，who，however，whenthedayforthechangecame，wasnotashamedtobecometheinstrumentusedbythepeoplefortheirrepeal。Eventsinthesedaysmarchsoquicklythattheyleavemenbehind；andourdearoldProtectionistsathomewillhavegrownsleekuponAmericanflourbeforetheyhaverealizedthefactthattheyarenolongerfedfromtheirownfurrows。

IhavegivenfiguresmerelyasregardsthetradeofBuffalo；butitmustnotbepresumedthatBuffaloistheonlyoutletfromthegreatcorn-landsofNorthernAmerica。Inthefirstplace，nograinoftheproduceofCanadafindsitswaytoBuffalo。ItsexitisbytheSt。LawrenceorbytheGrandTrunkRailwayasIhavestatedwhenspeakingofCanada。Andthenthereisthepassageforlargevesselsfromtheupperlakes——LakeMichigan，LakeHuron，andLakeErie——throughtheWellandCanal，intoLakeOntario，andoutbytheSt。Lawrence。ThereisalsothedirectcommunicationfromLakeErie，bytheNewYorkandErieRailwaytoNewYork。IhavemoreespeciallyalludedtothetradeofBuffalo，becauseIhavebeenenabledtoobtainareliablereturnofthequantityofgrainandflourwhichpassesthroughthattown，andbecauseBuffaloandChicagoarethetwospotswhicharebecomingmostfamousinthecerealhistoryoftheWesternStates。

EverybodyhasamapofNorthAmerica。AreferencetosuchamapwillshowthepeculiarpositionofChicago。ItisatthesouthorheadofLakeMichigan，andtoitconvergerailwaysfromWisconsin，Iowa，Illinois，andIndiana。AtChicagoisfoundthenearestwatercarriagewhichcanbeobtainedfortheproduceofalargeportionoftheseStates。FromChicagothereisdirectwaterconveyanceroundthroughthelakestoBuffalo，atthefootofLakeErie。AtMilwaukee，higheruponthelake，certainlinesofrailwaycomein，joiningthelaketotheUpperMississippi，andtothewheat-landsofMinnesota。ThencethepassageisroundbyDetroit，whichistheportfortheproduceofthegreatestpartofMichigan，andstillitallgoesontowardBuffalo。ThenonLakeErietherearetheportsofToledo，Cleveland，andErie。AtthebottomofLakeEriethereisthiscityofcorn，atwhichthegrainandflouraretranshippedintothecanal-boatsandintotherailwaycarsforNewYork；andthereisalsotheWellandCanal，throughwhichlargevesselspassfromtheupperlakeswithouttranshipmentoftheircargo。

Ihavesaidabovethatcorn——meaningmaizeorIndian-corn——wastobeboughtatBloomington，inIllinois，fortencents(orfivepence)abushel。IfoundthisalsotobethecaseatDixon，andalsothatcornofinferiorqualitymightbeboughtforfourpence；

butIfoundalsothatitwasnotworththefarmer\'swhiletoshellitandsellitatsuchprices。IwasassuredthatfarmerswereburningtheirIndian-corninsomeplaces，findingitmoreavailabletothemasfuelthanitwasforthemarket。Thelaborofdetachingabushelofcornfromthehullsorcobsisconsiderable，asisalsothetaskofcarryingittomarket。IhaveknownpotatoesinIrelandsocheapthattheywouldnotpayfordiggingandcarryingawayforpurposesofsale。TherewasthenaglutofpotatoesinIreland；andinthesamewaytherewas，intheautumnof1861，aglutofcornintheWesternStates。Thebestqualitieswouldfetchaprice，thoughstillalowprice；butcornthatwasnotofthebestqualitywasallbutworthless。Itdidforfuel，andwasburned。Thefactwasthattheproducehadre-createditselfquickerthanmankindhadmultiplied。Theingenuityofmanhadnotworkedquickenoughforitsdisposal。Theearthhadgivenforthherincreasesoabundantlythatthelapofcreatedhumanitycouldnotstretchitselftoholdit。AtDixon，in1861，corncostfourpenceabushel。InIreland，in1848，itwassoldforapennyapound，apoundbeingaccountedsufficienttosustainlifeforaday；andweallfeltthatatthatpricefoodwasbroughtintothecountrycheaperthanithadeverbeenbroughtbefore。

Dixonisnotatownofmuchapparentprosperity。Itisoneofthoseplacesatwhichgreatbeginningshavebeenmade，butastowhichthedeitiespresidingovernewtownshavenotbeenpropitious。Muchofithasbeenburneddown，andmoreofithasneverbeenbuiltup。Ithadastraggling，ill-conditioned，uncommercialaspect，verydifferentfromthelookofDetroit，Milwaukee，orSt。Paul。Therewas，however，agreathotelthere，asusual，andagrandbridgeovertheRockRiver，atributaryoftheMississippi，whichrunsbyorthroughthetown。IfoundthatlifemightbemaintainedonverycheaptermsatDixon。Tome，asapassingtraveler，thechargesatthehotelwere，Itakeit，thesameaselsewhere。ButIlearnedfromaninmatetherethathe，withhiswifeandhorse，werefedandcaredforandattended，fortwodollars(oreightshillingsandfourpence)aday。Thisincludedaprivatesitting-room，coals，light，andallthewantsoflife——asmyinformanttoldme——excepttobaccoandwhisky。Feedingatsuchahousemeansasuccessionofpromiscuoushotmeals，asoftenasthedigestionofthepatientcanfacethem。NowIdonotknowanylocalitywhereamancankeephimselfandhiswife，withallmaterialcomfortsandtheluxuryofahorseandcarriage，oncheapertermsthanthat。Whetherornoitmightbeworthaman\'swhiletoliveatallatsuchaplaceasDixon，isaltogetheranotherquestion。

Wewenttherebecauseitissurroundedbytheprairie，andoutintotheprairiewehadourselvesdriven。Wefoundsomedifficultyingettingawayfromthecorn，thoughwehadselectedthisspotasoneatwhichtheopenrollingprairiewasspeciallyattainable。AslongasIcouldseeacorn-fieldoratreeIwasnotsatisfied。

Nor，indeed，wasIsatisfiedatlast。Tohavebeenthoroughlyontheprairie，andintheprairie，Ishouldhavebeenaday\'sjourneyfromtilledland。ButIdoubtwhetherthatcouldnowbedoneintheStateofIllinois。Igotoutintovariouspatchesandbroughtawayspecimensofcorn——earsbearingsixteenrowsofgrain，withfortygrainsineachrow，eachearbearingamealforahungryman。