Mrs. Wright'a Travels in the United ■Slates* 
of the place. It is thought, however, 
that Baltimore, like a promising child, 
has somewhat outgrown her strength. 
The ratio of her increase diminishes 
greatly, and it may perhaps he doubted, 
whether, in the fallen state of commerce, 
she will extend her present limits for 
many years. 
I believe it is not generally known 
in this country, how completely some 
of the home fabrics have superseded the 
foreign in the American market. It is 
here supposed by many, that the higher 
price of labour must prevent competi¬ 
tion with the manufactures of Europe; 
but this draw-back is balanced by other 
advantages; provisions are cheap, the 
raw material of first rate quality is 
found in the country; and there are no 
taxes. The blankets and broad-cloths 
woven of the Merino wool, are not only 
in the average of superior quality, but 
can often undersell in the market those 
of Europe. The same is the case with 
the coarse cotton goods. I have seen 
cotton cloth, woven in New York, at a 
cen t pm- yard; and in strength of fabric, 
that of Europe will bear no comparison 
with it. The object here is to put .as 
little of the raw material into the yard, 
as possible; there is not the same temp¬ 
tation to this in America. It may be 
observed also, that, the employment of 
machinery now enabling women to per¬ 
form work which formerly demanded 
the agency of men, there is much less 
difference in the price of labour, em¬ 
ployed in some of the manufactories in 
Britain and America, than is here sup¬ 
posed. American women universally 
prefer employment in a cotton mill to 
domestic service, which they always 
feel to be a degradation. In accounting 
for any fact which, in America, strikes 
the foreigner as singular, he must al¬ 
ways seek part of its explanation in the 
national character, which influenced 
by the political institutions, is there 
probably more peculiarly marked, than 
in any other country. 
WASHINGTON. 
The road from Baltimore hither, 
about forty miles, leads through an un¬ 
interesting, and for the most part, bar¬ 
ren district. On losing sight of the 
city, the traveller might think that he 
had lost sight of all the beauty and all 
the wealth of the state; there are, how¬ 
ever, in Maryland, districts of great 
fertility, especially in the neighbour¬ 
hood of the eastern waters. 
Those who, in visiting Washington, 
expect to find a city, will be somewhat 
Monthly Mag. No. 363. 
633 
surprised when they first enter its pre¬ 
cincts, and look round in vain for the 
appearance of a house. 
The plan marked out for this metro¬ 
polis of the empire, is gigantic, and the 
public buildings, whether in progress 
or design, bear all the stamp of gran¬ 
deur. How many centimes shall pass 
away ere the clusters of little villages, 
now scattered over this plain, shall as¬ 
sume the form and magnificence of an 
imperial city ? 
I envy not the man who can enter 
without emotion the noble, though still 
unfinished structure of the American 
capitol. Never shall I forget the feel¬ 
ings with which I first looked down 
from the gallery of the hall upon the 
assembled representatives of a free and 
sovereign nation. We of course consi¬ 
dered with much interest some of the 
more distinguished members, with 
whom we were previously only ac¬ 
quainted by report, or the public prints, 
and waited with some curiosity until 
they should take their turn in the 
debate. 
A bill was introduced by Mr. Bald¬ 
win, of Pennsylvania, a man of vigour- 
ous intellect, with a rough, but energe¬ 
tic delivery. The number of able 
speakers exceeded my expectation, 
though I had been prepared to find it 
considerable : they struck me as gene¬ 
rally remarkable for close, and lucid 
reasoning, and a plain, but gentlemanly 
and impressive diction. When Mr. 
Clay rose, I believe that some apprehen¬ 
sion was mingled with our curiosity; 
for who has not learned from experi¬ 
ence, that when expectation is much 
raised, it it usually disappointed ? The 
first words uttered by the Speaker of 
the House satisfied us that no defect of 
manner was to break the charm of his 
eloquence. This distinguished states¬ 
man has, for many successive years 
been called to preside in the House by 
an almost unanimous vote; and, it is 
said, that no individual ever exercised 
in it a more powerful influence. He 
seems, indeed, to unite all the qualities 
essential to an orator; animation, ener¬ 
gy, high moral feeling, ardent patriot¬ 
ism, a sublimed love of liberty, a rapid 
flow of ideas and of language, a happy 
vein ©f irony, an action at once vehe¬ 
ment and dignified, and a voice full, 
sonorous, distinct, and flexible; ex¬ 
quisitely adapted to all the varieties of 
passion or argument;—without excep¬ 
tion the most masterly voice that I ever 
remember to have heard. It filled the 
4 L large 
