OKNITHOLOGY, SI 



manly. A favourite aotbor sixys, *' I consider 

 the absolute resignation of one's person to the 

 luxury cf a carriage, lo forebode a \ery siiort in- 

 terval between that and (lie vehicle v, liich is lo 

 convey us to the last stage." The Americans are 

 not an c^eminate people, and it is to me passing 

 strange that they should give in to such degenerate 

 habits. 



When a stranger alights at a tavern, he fre- 

 quently witnesses a rapid collection of idlers in 

 the bar room, who congregate together like birds 

 of passage in autumn, to gather news, to kill time, 

 and to dilnk whiskey. 1 have not been able to 

 restrain my indignation at such an inexcusable 

 waste of tlnie. Whenever 1 see it I augur ill of 

 the morals of the place, and when 1 do not observe 

 it, 1 mentally exclaim : — " This village is devoted 

 to industry and temperance*' — and I frequently 

 am induced to spend some time in it, v^hen I 

 almost invariably find that my judgment is correct. 



LETTER XVill. 



Canandaigua^ June, 1S20. 

 My Dear Sir, 



At the house of the respectable and worthy Mr* 

 Greig of this town. I met for the first time with 



