Название: Travels Through North America, During the Years 1825 and 1826. v. 1-2
Автор: Bernhard
Издательство: Public Domain
Жанр: Книги о Путешествиях
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A few hours after, we visited some of the steam-boats which ply between Albany and New York. The largest, called the Car of Commerce, is provided with excellent apartments, and makes her trip in nineteen hours. This vessel is extremely elegant, but my friend Tromp is of opinion that the English steam-boats are superior in machinery. In fact, in this country, the American steam-engines are not celebrated for the safety of their boilers; and several explosions which have occurred, serve to increase this evil report. From this reason, as well as on account of the disagreeable motion of the steam-engine, many persons were unwilling to risk their lives, so that they have attached a safety-barge to one of the steam-boats. This is a real floating hotel, furnished with the greatest luxury. In the ladies cabin there are even silk curtains. Besides this, the ladies have a separate toilette and parlour. The gentlemen assemble in the dining room. The whole boat is surrounded by a piazza, which, in warm weather, must be extremely pleasant. The name of this safety-barge which carries passengers at four dollars, is Lady Clinton, in honour of the wife of the governor of New York, De Witt Clinton. We also visited the Constellation, another beautiful steam-boat, which has no safety-barge. There are also steam-boats for the purpose of towing the common sloops, &c. up and down the river, called steam-tow-boats.
Finally, we examined the horse ferry-boats. These boats consist of two vessels joined together, have a common deck, and are of an elliptical form. Upon the centre of the deck is a round house, in which six horses work, turning a horizontal, which moves two common wheels between the boats, provided with paddles, as in the steam-boats. The carriage, and twenty-two two-horse carts crossed at the same time, standing on both sides of the round house. There are two rudders, one at the stern, the other at the bow.
The trade in timber and boards is one of the capital branches of internal trade. We saw a great quantity of both on the wharves, and at the dam. At dinner we became acquainted with the Spanish consul of Boston, a worthy young man, who was educated in France. After dinner we took a view of the capitol, or state-house, situated upon a small eminence, and at a short distance from our inn. Albany is the seat of government and the capitol of the state of New York, but it is said to be the intention of the inhabitants shortly to remove the seat of government to Utica, which is situated farther to the west, and in a more central part of the state. The capitol is built of brown sand-stone, and in a quadrangular form; in front it is ornamented with large steps, and four Ionic columns of white marble. The halls of the different branches of the legislature are spacious, but exhibit nothing remarkable. In one of the halls is a full length portrait of Washington, and in another, that of the late Governor Clinton, an uncle of the present governor.9 On the top of the capitol is a cupola, from which there is a beautiful view of the city of Albany, and the valley of the Hudson, which is bounded on the right by the Catskill mountains, and on the left by the mountains of Vermont. On the dome is a wooden statue representing justice, to the back of which is secured a heavy lightning-rod, so that witlings remark that she is standing in the pillory.
At Albany are some remains of the feudal system. The Van Rensselaer family, one of the oldest of the Dutch emigrants, obtained the country around Albany at the time it was first settled, as a fief; it was divided into different portions, and some of these were leased to vassals who were obliged to pay a certain rent, and to render certain services to the owner. The eldest of the Van Rensselaer family has always borne the title of patroon, and enjoys certain feudal prerogatives, for which the family are indebted to the great popularity they have enjoyed ever since the revolution, though every recollection of the feudal system is repugnant to the genius of the American government. By the people in the neighbourhood, the house of the old General Van Rensselaer is always called the manor of the patroon.
CHAPTER VI
On the morning of the 14th of August, we took passage on board the Albany, one of the canal packet-boats, for Lake Erie. This canal was built at an expense of $2,500,000, and will be completed in about four weeks: at present, they are at work only on the western part of it. During the preceding year, they received an income of $300,000, and they expect, during the present year, after the canal shall have been completed, an income of $500,000, so that the expenses will, in a very short time, be replaced, and the state realize an immense profit, unless it be necessary to make great repairs, which I have no doubt will be the case, and will consequently require a large share of this income. Hitherto the great canal system was unknown in the United States, and was rather unpopular. It might have been expected, therefore, that so great and rapid an undertaking, would have a tendency to astound, if we may so speak, the public mind; so that this canal was finished as soon as possible, without calling to aid the great experience possessed by other nations. Notwithstanding, this canal, which is three hundred and sixty-two miles in length, with eighty-three locks, between the Hudson and Lake Erie, which lies six hundred and eighty-eight feet above the level of the former river, does the greatest honour to the genius of its projector; though one who has seen the canals in France, Holland, and England, will readily perceive, that the water-works of this country afford much room for improvement. The canal is thirty-five feet wide on the surface, twenty-eight feet at the bottom, and four feet deep, so that none but flat vessels and rafts can sail on it. The packet-boat which took us to Schenectady, was seventy feet long, fourteen feet wide, and drew two feet water. It was covered, and contained a spacious cabin, with a kitchen, and was very neatly arranged. On account of the great number of locks, the progress of our journey was but slow: our packet-boat went only at the rate of three miles an hour, being detained at each lock, on an average, four minutes. The locks are fourteen feet wide above the surface, and have a fall from seven to twelve feet. The packet-boat was drawn by three СКАЧАТЬ
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[Recently deceased.] – Trans.