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NEW ORLEANS TO NEW YORK. XV

port, at the foot of the falls, we had an opportunity of examining
the fine canal and locks, now constructing at great expense, to
enable vessels of all dimensions to navigate the river at all
seasons. It is a great work, and calculated to be of consider-
able advantage to this country. We took a hackney coach,
of which there were several in the streets, and proceeded to
view the town, which is much more extensive than it appears.
We visited the museum, an appendage to almost every Ame-
rican town. among the fossil remains, therein, I observed
the perfect skull and horns of a species of eik, which was new
to me. The firing of the bost's gun, the constant singal for
passengers to come on board, obliged us to shorten our survey,
and in a few minuted we were again proceedings up the Ohio
in a steam-boats, with most of our late companions, and many
additional passengers. I must here observe, that the society in
the steam-boats is generally very pleasant, consisting of well
informed, intelligent people, attentive and obliging to strangers,
readily pointing out to their notice every thing worthy of ob-
servation, or that can contribute to raise their opinion of the
country and its constitution, of which they are, with good
reason, proud. They universally complain of the injustice
done them by English writers, who they say, seem to have
come among them only to misrepresent what little they have
seen of the country, and that, perhaps, like myself, from the
deck of a stean-boat.

On leaving Louisville, the magnificence of the American
rivers and scenery seemed to commence. In no part of the
world, that I have seen, are these surpasses in grandeur, or
variety, every mile affording a perpetual change. The trees
attain here an altitude, and size, unknown in Europe, and
their diversity of form and colour, formed a contrast with the
monotonous green of the wilderness below. Among the snow-
like blossom of the dog-wood, and bright scarlet of the red-
bud, which were conspicuous in the woods that now covered the
sloping banks of the river, the openings between, at in-
tervals, exhibited rich pasture lands with comfortable farm-
houses, surrounded with gardens, orchards, and vineyards,
and convinced the traveller, that he had left the regious of
swamps and marshes, fevers and agues, and arrived at those
of hill and dale, pasturage and health. We now saw greater
numbers of land and water fowl. The beautiful little summer
duck was plentiful--we shot several; andthe black vulture
was occasionally seen. In our passage up the river we had