34 EMIGRATION, OR 



not very disagreeable this warm weather. It has been re 

 marked that Englishmen generally are the most particular 

 and fastidious about such trifles on travelling in this country. 

 The boats are one-third wider than those used on canals in 

 England, and covered their whole length, leaving sufficient 

 room for standing erect in them. Though so far back in 

 the woods, the people are very similar in their manners and 

 behaviour to those in and near towns; generally civil, some 

 polite and intelligent ; no awkward rudeness or embarrass 

 ment in their behaviour ; no provincialisms, and but few 

 peculiarities in their language. All speak the English lan 

 guage plainly, and mostly correct, with some few exceptions, 

 chiefly in pronunciation, which they have generally adopted, 

 as improvements or corrections of Walker thus, in engine , 

 acorn, excellent, and some others, the accent is placed on 

 the second syllable. Thames is by them pronounced 

 Thaymes. 



June 23. The canal appears about three-fourths the 

 size of the Grand Junction in England. The bridges are 

 nearly all of wood, and too low, not allowing a person to sit 

 upright on a boat passing them. The canal is shut up in 

 winter by frost. The water is let through the locks by a 

 much quicker and easier method than what I have seen in 

 England, by merely turning a lever about one-third of a 

 circle. There are several companies that run &quot; lines&quot; of 

 boats regularly, the &quot; packet line&quot; fitted up chiefly for 

 passengers, drawn by three horses, a boy riding one of 

 them and keeping them on a trot ; charge 2s per mile, 

 board, &c. included. &quot; Pilot line,&quot; ** merchant line,&quot; and 

 others, carry both passengers and merchandize, drawn by 

 two horses each, go night and day, (60 or 70 miles in 

 24 hours) and charge Id. per mile, and board yourself, and 

 4s. 6d. per 100 Ib. weight of luggage and merchandize from 

 Albany to Buffaloe, 296 miles. Towns are much called 

 after Greek, Roman, and other ancient names as Rome, 

 Troy, Camillus, Maulines, Galen, Utica, Syracuse, &c. 

 At Salina, near the latter place, are extensive salt works. 

 A great many buildings made to evaporate the salt water 

 by the sun, with sliding roofs, and others for evaporation by 

 boiling-. The salt sells for about Is. 3d. per bushel, and 

 2$. 4d. per cvvt. very good quality of fine and coarse sorts. 

 Houses springing up like mushrooms; here and there a 

 young village or town. The canal crosses the skirts of 



