70 EARLY UNDERTAKINGS. [1838, 



Bunker Hill (and I believe the other boats on the 

 lake are not materially different) is rather odd, but 

 very well adapted to answer the purpose for which it is 

 intended. All the boats carry large quantities of 

 freight, and the whole space beneath the main deck is 

 occupied by merchandise, and by the boilers and fuel. 

 The deck is crowded with boxes, bales, and casks, 

 many of which are directed to places in the far West 

 yet so distant that they have hardly commenced their 

 journey. The after part is occupied chiefly by a sort 

 of cabin for deck passengers (equivalent to steerage 

 passengers), in which men, women, and children, 

 Dutch, Irish, Swiss, and Yankee, are promiscuously 

 jumbled. It is infinitely better, however, than the 

 steerage of packet-ships. The bow of the boat is 

 occupied by a different set of passengers, viz., eight or 

 ten horses, destined to draw sundry wagons which 

 now occupy a very conspicuous situation in front of 

 the promenade-deck. You would suppose there was 

 no room left for cabin passengers. On the contrary, 

 their accommodations, though by no means splendid, 

 are really very comfortable and complete. They 

 occupy what in a North River boat forms the prome- 

 nade-deck, which here extends nearly the whole length 

 of the vessel, has a ladies' saloon entirely separate 

 from the gentlemen's cabin, and three or four private 

 state-rooms for families. The gentlemen's cabin is 

 fitted up with state-rooms with three berths in each, 

 and as there was only a moderate number of pas- 

 sengers I was so fortunate as to secure a whole state- 

 room to myself, where I enjoyed very comfortable 

 rest. When I rose, we were approaching the town of 

 Erie, Pennsylvania. I made an attempt, while we 

 were detained at the wharf, to get on shore to botanize : 



