Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub
[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small]

A VISIT

TO THE PRINCIPAL

CITIES OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT:

EMBRACING AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR

SITUATION, ORIGIN, PLAN, EXTENT,

THEIR

INHABITANTS, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND AMUSEMENTS,

AND

PUBLIC WORKS, INSTITUTIONS, EDIFICES, &c.

TOGETHER WITH SKETCHES OF HISTORICAL EVENTS.

BY C. A. GOODRICH.

ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS.

Hartford:

PUBLISHED BY CASE, TIFFANY AND COMPANY.

1848.

[blocks in formation]

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1848, by

CASE, TIFFANY AND CO.,

in the Clerk's office of the District Court of Connecticut.

INTRODUCTION.

6

A distinguished senator in our American Congress, some years since, in the course of one of his speeches, when speaking of the commercial enterprise of our countrymen, related the following curious incident: "A ship which had been built at Pittsburg was freighted and cleared from that place for Leghorn. On her arrival at the place of her destination, the master presented his papers to the proper officers, who would not credit them; but said to him, Sir, your papers are forged. There is no such place as Pittsburg in the world! Your vessel must be confiscated!' The trembling captain laid before the officer a map of the United States-directed him to the Gulf of Mexico-pointed out to him the mouth of the Mississippi-led him a thousand miles up to the mouth of the Ohio, and thence another thousand up to Pittsburg. There, sir, is the port whence my vessel cleared.''

The ignorance of the Leghorn officer of the customs was quite pardonable, since in relation to a new country, and to its far distant and quite inland ports of entry, he might not have had an opportunity to inform himself. But, whatever mortification he experienced, it must have been far less than that of a certain English nobleman, who, during his travels in Italy, was shown a church, which he so much admired for its elegance of structure, as to request permission to take a sketch of it. “Oh !" said the gentleman, who accompanied him, and was showing him the building,-" You have no occasion to put yourself to that trouble; the model was taken from a church in London, the very place where you reside." Surprised and confused, his lordship desired to know what edifice like it London could contain, which had escaped his observation. He was told that it was St. Stephen's, Walbrook, near the Royal Exchange. It is further added, that his lordship had no sooner arrived in London, than he went to take a view of that beautiful monument of architecture, which is esteemed Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, before he saw any of his friends, or returned to his own home.

The author has introduced these humble anecdotes by way of illustrating the importance of a knowledge of the world, which may be

« AnteriorContinuar »