18 EMIGRATION, OR 



except a small blue bird, warbling like the lowest notes of 

 the blackbird, and the chirping of robins a bird of the size 

 of field-fares, and like them in colour, with a reddish breast. 

 Not one fourth so many small birds here as in England. 

 Frogs are croaking, and a small sort whistling. Passed 

 over Belvidere Bridge on the stream before-mentioned ; it 

 is a large and ingenious piece of wooden workmanship, of 

 one arch, one hundred and ninety feet span ; with two 

 cart ways, twelve feet each, and two foot ways six feet each, 

 and is covered over with a shingled roof, to keep it dry ; 

 horses are not allowed to be trotted over it, under a penalty ; 

 a considerable cotton factory near it (with one hundred and 

 forty windows) worked by water. Passed through several 

 &quot; ^ury ing-grounds&quot; at the back of the town, on the common, 

 slightly railed in ; on the tombs and head-stones in the 

 Roman Catholic one, I found Irish names generally. Bal 

 timore consists, I believe, of more than half Irish and their 

 descendants. The bye-roads, and some of the turnpike ones, 

 are now in a bad state through the thaws and heavy rains; 

 but it scon dries up by the heat of the sun. It is said, there 

 is more rain falls here than in England, which I think is 

 probable, arising from its vicinity to the gulph-stream, as, 

 whenever the wind is from that quarter, rain or heavy fogs 

 generally follow. Turnips sprouting, and grass beginning 

 to grow ; saw some snow- drops, crocuses, &c. blowing, in 

 the &quot;Columbian Garden,&quot; a poor place, belonging to a 

 tavern, and made public in summer, to drink in, &c. But 

 few private gardens in and about the town, although so 

 much ground lying waste in every back street. Houses 

 here mostly full of windows ; a small room, in which 1 am 

 now writing, has four ; I have seen six in one room, yet 

 still more singular, often two-thirds of them closed by shut 

 ters and blinds. Some few of the houses are built narrow, 

 with the roof s inclining only one way. like half a large 

 house split down the middle into two. Roofs are univer 

 sally formed of shingles, which have some appearance of 

 tiles, but handsomer, and far preferable to either slates or 

 tiles, as non-conductors of heat in this hot climate, yet of 

 course more dangerous to fire. One evening, at the request 

 of a respectable young man, I accompanied him to a for 

 tune-teller ; she was a respectable-looking woman, with a 

 family, in a well-furnished house ; the latter, probably, the 

 fruits of disgusting culpability. Captains of vessels make it 



