59 
was obliged to complain immediately upon our arrival, and this 
I was subsequently forced to repeat; the streets were also very 
crooked. We visited several bookstores, which appeared to be 
well furnished, and then took a walk to the new basin, into which 
the canal empties. It is separated from the Hudson by a dam 
which runs parallel with the river, and is four thousand feet long, 
from three to four hundred wide, and ten feet deep. The dam is 
built of strong rafters, which form its two walls, the intervals of 
which are filled up with earth and stone. It is connected with 
the bank of the river by several high wooden bridges, in the cen¬ 
tre of which there are drawbridges for the passage of boats. The 
building of this dam cost one hundred and thirty thousand dol¬ 
lars. It was divided into lots, and sold separately, on condition 
that store-houses should be erected upon it: in consequence of 
this they have realized the sum of one hundred and ninety thou¬ 
sand dollars. In my opinion, the managers of the canal, at whose 
expense the basin and the two canals have been built, would 
have done better, if they had kept the dam and rented it. Being 
built of wood, which is more or less subject to decay, as they 
are to erect nothing but store-houses upon it, it is to be feared 
that in the course of ten years it will tumble down in conse¬ 
quence of the pressure, or that they will be obliged to repair it in 
great measure, or perhaps completely rebuild it with stone. As 
stone is very cheap here, and sawed in the prisons, they should 
have originally built the dam of stone. The present one seems to me 
to have been but badly executed. In the basin we saw a travelling 
bookstore in one of the canal-boats. Mr. Wilcox, who establish¬ 
ed it about two years ago on the Erie Canal, travels backwards 
and forwards several times a year, and is said to do considera¬ 
ble business. He had just returned to get a new assortment of 
books. Most of the books which he sells at the villages in the 
neighbourhood of the canal are ancient authors, some medical and 
religious, and a few law books and novels. This gentleman, for¬ 
merly a merchant in Albany, entirely supports his family, who 
reside with him in his boat, by this fortunate speculation. I pur¬ 
chased of him an excellent map of the state of New York. 
A few hours after, we visited some of the steam-boats which ply 
between Albany and New York. The largest, called the Car 
of Commerce, is provided with excellent apartments, and makes 
her trip in nineteen hours. This vessel is extremely elegant, but 
my friend Tromp is of opinion that the English steam-boats are 
superior in machinery. In fact, in this country, the American 
steam-engines are not celebrated for the safety of their boilers; 
and several explosions which have occurred, serve to increase this 
evil report. From this reason, as well as on account of the dis¬ 
agreeable motion of the steam-engine, many persons were unwil- 
