llinois, joining Indiana, and on the
southern shore of Lake Michigan, stands the wonderful city of
Chicago: wonderful in its quick growth, and wonderful in the way the
ravages of the great fire there have been replaced. I was
necessarily, by the time-table of the trains, delayed there some six
hours, so I walked through the town. It is a beautiful one, not equal
in that respect to San Francisco, but still far ahead of New York.
Like both the said cities, Chicago is overrun with tram-cars, and
like them also other wheel-vehicles are in the minority. Its position
on the shore of that vast lake, and on the direct line of rail, is a
commanding one for all purposes of trade and commerce, and doubtless
to this, in a great measure, may its quick growth be attributed.
Formerly, before the fire, it was, I believe, nearly all wood, now
the greater part is brick and stone. It is built on the plan of all
American towns, in square blocks, so that the streets, which are
wide, all run at right angles to each other. It boasts many very
handsome buildings, and the display in the shop windows of huge plate
glass quite equals London, or Paris either. I was very glad of the
six hours' delay, which enabled me to see this magnificent city. Lake
Michigan was the first sight I had of those five vast sheets of fresh
water, all joining together, which is such a unique feature in North
America. As I stood on the shore and saw the boundless waters before
me, it was difficult to realize that I gazed on a lake and not on the
ocean.

I saw a number of pretty faces at Chicago, and I then first began to
think what I should say in this book about the beauty of women in the
States. In no country on earth, my experience teaches me, is beauty
as common as in Great Britain. Every fourth young girl you meet
here, be it in Ireland, England, Scotland, or Wales, has some
pretensions to good looks. Perhaps, anyway in my opinion, the claim
for beauty as regards the four countries follows in the order in
which I have named them. In America, on the contrary, beauty is not
sown broadcast through the land, but then to make up for this, when
it is found it is very perfect. Some American girls and women are
extremely handsome, but in America, far more than in Europe, beauty
clings to the upper classes. One point further; I doubt if beauty is
as _lasting_ on the other side of the Atlantic as it is here. I
believe the high temperature the rooms are kept at with stoves d