orama, seen through the bright medium of a rosy morn and a
cloudless sky, has left an enjoyable impression which time can never
efface. But although everything was strange, I could not feel myself
abroad, so strong is the power of language.

Taking leave of our worthy and able skipper, we landed on the soil of
the giant Republic at Jersey city, where the wharves, &c., of the Cunard
line are established, they not having been able to procure sufficient
space on the New York side. The first thing we ran our heads against
was, of course, the Custom-house; but you must not imagine, gentle
reader, that a Custom-house officer in America is that mysterious
compound of detective police and high-bred ferret which you too often
meet with in the Old World. He did not consider it requisite to tumble
everything out on the floor, and put you to every possible
inconvenience, by way of exhibiting his importance; satisfied on that
point himself, he impressed you with it by simple courtesy, thus gaining
respect where the pompous inquisitive type of the animal would have
excited ill-will and contempt. Thank heaven, the increased
inter-communication, consequent upon steam-power, has very much
civilized that, until lately, barbarian portion of the European family;
nor do I attempt to deny that the contiguity of the nations, and the far
greater number of articles paying duty, facilitating and increasing
smuggling, render a certain degree of ferretishness a little more
requisite on the part of the operator, and a little more patience
requisite on the part of the victim.

A very few minutes polished our party off, and found us on board of the
ferry-boat; none of your little fiddling things, where a donkey-cart and
an organ-boy can hardly find standing-room, but a good clear
hundred-feet gangway, twelve or fourteen feet broad, on each side of the
engine, and a covered cabin outside each gangway, extending half the
length of the vessel; a platform accommodating itself to the rise and
fall of the water, enables you to drive on board with perfect ease,
while the little kind of basin into which you run on either side, being
formed of strong piles fastened only at the bottom, yields to the vessel
as she strikes, and entirely does away with any concussion. I may here
add, that during my whole travels in the States, I found nothing more
perfect in construction and arrangement than the ferries and their
boats, the charges for which are most moderate, v