APPROACH TO NEW YORK. 7 



fishing-boat for New York, where they landed in safety a 

 few hours afterwards. The fog increasing as the day advan 

 ced, deprived the passengers of the hope of reaching shore 

 until next day, and all their stock of patience was required to 

 withstand the disappointment. 



Next morning I was early on deck. The fog of the pre 

 ceding day had disappeared in course of the night, and the 

 sun shone brilliant in a sky of cloudless blue. A bracing and 

 favourable breeze filled our canvass, and hastened on their 

 voyage a thousand vessels around us, which had been detained 

 by the previous unfavourable weather. Land was seen on 

 both sides of the channel, but too distant to render objects on 

 its surface distinctly visible. At a quarter before eight, a 

 pilot stept on board, under whose guidance the Napoleon pro 

 ceeded merrily on her way. 



Under the combination of advantages we now enjoyed, our 

 detention on the previous day seemed a fortunate occurrence, 

 without which we should have been landed at New York, in 

 sensible of the beauties of its approach. 



Having been nurtured in the country, and by profession and 

 taste brought into fellowship with the vegetable kingdom, I 

 anticipated much pleasure on my first introduction to Ame 

 rica. This feeling led me on deck early in the morning, and, 

 with telescope in hand, I watched with anxiety our approach 

 to the shore. My situation was like that of a famishing per 

 son with food in view, intense desire without gratification, 

 and brought to feel enjoyment by gradual participation. At 

 first the country appeared a mass of uniform vegetation ; by 

 and by, the green broke into different shades, forest could be 

 distinguished from cultivated field, kinds of trees and crops 

 became visible, but I strained my eyeballs almost to blindness 

 without being able to mark the minute characteristics of indi 

 viduals. The general effect imparted delight, which was height 

 ened, perhaps, by my having left home at the termination of a 

 tedious winter, and crossed a wide waste of waters ; the green 

 mantle of nature never appeared to me so rich and fascinating. 



The general aspect of the scenery, on approaching New 

 York, is beautiful ; consisting of hill, wood, water, island, 

 town, villa, and hamlet, in every combination which can im- 



