TOUR TN TEE UNITED STATES. 169 



more like palaces than anything else — built of cut stone, stand- 

 ing apart, plate-glass windows and everything grand. Quack- 

 doctors, oilmen, and milkmen, dwell in such. Every newer 

 man tries to outdo the last. One man built a fine palace of a 

 house. " Come," said his opposite neighbour, " I guess my 

 stable will be superior to your house." So he builds a cut stone 

 stable right opposite to his friend's door, much grander looking 

 than the grand house of his friend. Some of these houses cost 

 80,000 to 120,000 dollars. Our voyage from Halifax took 

 about fifty-two hours : calm weather, and pleasant enough. 



August 17th, Longbranch, N.J. What of Longbranch ? Very 

 good for bathing, and a very good place for children, there being a 

 strand and fields to root in ; and a good place for old gentlemen, 

 there being a verandah to smoke in ; and a good place for ladies, 

 there being a balcony to chat in ; but no place for a botanist, 

 for there is nothing on the shore but sand and water, and no- 

 thing in the fields but sand, and weeds that he does not want. 

 There are some pretty drives in the neighbourhood, and I have 

 been on two, leading into the country. Sandy roads, which we 

 should call very deep and bad for horses — a sandy country, 

 covered with wild cedar, hickory, several kinds of oak, chestnut, 

 plantains, tulip-tree, poplars, &c. ; farmhouses thickly scattered, 

 fields of Indian-corn and potatoes, low hills, streams, marshes, 

 and a river, and no mountains in the distance. Our yesterday's 

 ride was to a distant farmhouse, famous as having been the 

 country-house of the mothers of the two Barings. We live in a 

 small boarding-house, very quiet, with an agreeable party. 

 With books, one could pass time here very well in fine weather. 

 At present it is not at all too hot — very delightful ; and you 

 must not be surprised if I fall in love with America, and settle 

 down here. If we be driven out of Ireland by rebellion, it is 

 pleasant to have this country under our lee. I have met no- 

 thing yet but what is agreeable ; but doubtless there are two 

 sides to the question. Poor medicine chest ! I left it in New 

 York quietly, and eat peaches and Indian-corn instead of physic. 

 I leave this on the 20th for New York, and join our party in a 

 few days at Hyde Park. 



19th. Since I wrote the above we have had some pleasant 

 drives through the woods, which have added to the agreability 

 of the moment, but not contributed much to one's stock of 



