GERMAN BOARDING-HOUSE. 35 



assured me that if I ran to every fire that broke out in 

 New York, I should have nothing else to do all night, 

 as there are seldom less than two in the twenty-four 

 hours. His words were confirmed by another alarm in 

 a few hours ; and during the three months that I re- 

 mained in New York, I remember very few nights 

 passing without an alarm of fire. The fire companies 

 are excellent, and the most respectable citizens are 

 enrolled amongst the firemen ; the engines are hand- 

 some, and formed of brass and iron, often adorned with 

 a pretty vignette ; they are di-awn by the men. How 

 different from our old thunder-boxes, in Germany, 

 where it takes half an hour to get the horses ready. 



A week passed so quickly, I could hardly persuade 

 myself that it was more than two days. I became ac- 

 quainted with several Germans. The dirt of the 

 boarding-house became insupportable. I had been in- 

 troduced to a German family by a mutual acquaintance 

 from Brunswick, and they agreed to let me board and 

 lodge with them for three dollars a week, the ordinary 

 price, washing not included. Washing costs at the rate 

 of four cents a single piece. 



I had come to New York with the intention of 

 proceeding to Vera Cruz, but heard so many unfavor- 

 able reports of the state of Mexican affliirs, that I was 

 at first undecided; and afterwards, as so many told 

 me of the disturbed and uncertain state of that country, 

 and warned me, as a new comer, against going there, I 

 decided on taking a good look at the United States 

 before I visited other countries. 



My prospects here seemed to improve. A young 

 farmer from IlHnois, whom I met in New York, said 



