58 ITINERANT LECTURERS. 



them at first, than the huge smelting-furnaces of Scotland 

 and Wales. The success of these^ works, however, is of 

 great moment to the province, inasmuch as their failure 

 would be a serious check to future adventures of capital 

 in similar undertakings. 



The land on this day's journey continued good nearly 

 the whole way ; and the crops of oats and potatoes were 

 more like good crops in Scotland than anything we had 

 yet seen. The English or Scottish farmer who may 

 think of settling in this country must not consider himself 

 as quite out of the world in these parts. There are 

 wandering teachers, who supply with knowledge the 

 thirsty cultivators in the humblest villages. Notices are 

 stuck up in the inns, or are printed in the newspapers, 

 or are spread in the form of handbills, such as two I 

 met with to-day — " Mr Humphreys intends to lecture in 

 this village, during the current week, on electricity and 

 the electric telegraph." — " Mr Dow intends to lecture on 

 physiology and anatomy during the present week ; we 

 hope our friends will give him full houses during his stay 

 among them." 



That these wanderers receive encouragement, not only 

 here but on the other side of the border, is shown by an 

 amusing circumstance told me subsequently by a fellow- 

 traveller, when on my way, through Maine, from Bangor 

 to Boston. Though a Bangor man, he had property 

 and business Avhich took him frequently into Georgia. 

 ^' When on his way to Boston, on one occasion, with a 

 friend, who had also been with him in Georgia, they 

 dined at a hotel, where they saw opposite to them at 

 table two New Englanders, whom they had last seen 

 peddling in Georgia. ' Well,' says his friend to one of 

 them, ' when did you quit your peddling in Georgia?' 

 The questioned made no reply, but, swallowing his dinner 

 expeditiously, as a New Englander can, he went out of 

 the room, and, waiting for my friend and his companion, 



