CHAPTEE XXX. 



Free-soil and abolition meetings at Boston. Attack on Mr Webster. 

 His speech in Congress. Alleged natural unfitness of New Mexico 

 for slavery. Intelligence of a Boston meeting. Stump orators of the 

 southern States. Use of the abolition party in the States. Extreme 

 religious views of the leaders of this party. Dr Webster s trial. 

 Energy of a Boston jury. Common schools in Massachusetts. 

 Principles on which they are based. Most important facts regarding 

 them. Amount of assessment levied for school purposes. What 

 such an assessment would realise in Great Britain. Private schools 

 in Massachusetts. Why these are necessary. Proposed payment of 

 professors by a public tax. Education schemes of the early reformers. 

 Parish-school system of Scotland. Eecommendations of John 

 Knox. His plans fully carried out eighty years after in Massachusetts. 

 Expected influence of New England schools on ours at home. 

 United States arsenal at Springfield. Connecticut valley and river. 

 Amherst college. President Hitchcock and the footprints of birds. 

 Greenfield and the Upper Connecticut. Mr Marsh s collection of 

 bird-tracks. Turner s Falls. Valley of the Westfield River. 

 Potsdam sandstone in Berks county. Soils of the Black River lime 

 stone. Sail down the Hudson. Compared with the Rhine by Mr 

 Cooper. Higher ascent of the tide in this river compared with 

 former times. Causes of this. Case of the river Wear. Interest 

 attending such observations. Clubs in Boston. Discoveries of mineral 

 phosphate of lime in various parts of the United States. Importance 

 of this to British and American agriculture. Return to England. 



MARCH 22. During my stay in Boston, I have attended 

 two separate meetings in Faneuil Hall on the subject of 

 slavery one called by the Free-soil party, the other by 

 the extreme Abolitionist or Garrison party. 



The attack of the Free-soilers was chiefly upon Mr 



