TOUR IN THE UNITED STATES. 173 



view changing at every turn — the projecting points so far con- 

 cealing the view behind and before that one seems constantly 

 sailing through small picturesque lakes, &c. The situation of 

 the academy at Westpoint he describes as " exquisitely beautiful, 

 and the surrounding scenery like the softest of Italian land- 

 scapes — the climate under which it was seen most splendid, 

 cool, yet bright and sunny." The days of social enjoyment at 

 Hyde Park were filled up with drives in its neighbourhood, and 

 strolls through the lovely park scenery. " It is useless," he 

 says, " to repeat that so and so is to be admired, unless I could 

 place it bodily on paper. I have done nothing at botany 

 since I came here, the flowers being mostly out of season, 

 and I do not walk out much in the woods. There is plenty 

 of Lobelia cardinalis in the marshy spots, and also a blue 

 Lobelia, and a number of composite plants. Golden Rod 

 (Solidago) takes the place of our ragweed in the fields. The 

 most troublesome weeds are importations from Europe ; the 

 yellow toad-flax (Linaria vul), which overruns every pasture, 

 and tall, woolly mulleins (Verbascum), which spring up where 

 they can, along roads and through fields. The ox-eyed daisy 

 is also a pest here. The leaves have not yet begun to 

 change ; but I am told that in a week or two we shall have 

 autumnal colours. We were at church on Sunday, where 

 the service was more satisfactorily performed than I have 

 yet witnessed in America. They have a habit here of mutilating 

 the prayers — much being left to the discretion of the reader, 

 who often omits large portions. The nice old man to-day 

 (Dr. Sherwood) gave us- the Litany without deductions, so that 

 it felt more like home. They have, however, altered some of 

 the quaintnesses of the old language by way of improvement, 

 but I think very unhappily — putting " those " for them, even in 

 the Lord's prayer. Several other such unimportant changes 

 grate harshly on the ear. But these are trifles. All the 

 prayers were read at the altar, and the lessons and sermon 

 from a desk standing within the chancel rails. There was a 

 communion, of which considerably more than half the congre- 

 gation partook — the rest keeping their seats all the time, and 

 the sacrament was administered to each separately, not to whole 

 railfuls at once, as would have been the case in England. On 

 the whole, the service was what one could wish to see always, 



