s pocket; but this was enough for his purpose. The
Rhine was not far distant from his native village, and this part of his
journey he easily accomplished on foot. Upon reaching the river, he is
said to have secured a place as oarsman on a timber raft. The timber
which is cut in the Black Forest for shipment is made up into rafts on
the Rhine, but instead of being suffered to float down the stream, as in
this country, is rowed by oarsmen, each raft having from sixty to eighty
men attached to it. As the labor is severe and attended with some risk,
the wages are high, and the lot of the oarsmen not altogether a hard
one, as they manage to have a great deal of sport among themselves. The
amount paid as wages on these voyages is about ten dollars, besides the
coarse fare furnished the men, and the time occupied is about two weeks.

Upon reaching the Dutch seaport at the mouth of the Rhine, young Astor
received his wages--the largest sum he had ever possessed--and took
passage in a vessel for London, where he was welcomed cordially by his
brother, and provided with employment in his manufactory.

He now set to work to prepare himself for his emigration to America. His
industry was unflagging. He worked literally from dawn till dark, and
practiced the most rigid economy in his expenditures. His leisure time,
which was brief, was spent in trying to master the English language, and
in acquiring information respecting America. He had anticipated great
difficulty in his efforts to learn English, but succeeded beyond his
hopes. In six weeks he could make himself understood in that language,
and some time before starting for America could speak it with ease,
though he never could at any period of his life rid himself of his
strong German accent. He was never able to write English correctly, but
after being some years in this country acquired a style which was
striking and to the point, in spite of its inaccuracy. England, however,
was not a favorable place for acquiring information respecting America.
The Colonies had exasperated the mother country by their heroic struggle
for freedom, which was just drawing to its close, and the New World was
pictured to the imagination of the young German in any thing but a
favorable light. His most accurate information was gained from those who
had returned from America, and these persons, as often as chance threw
them in his way, he questioned with eagerness and precision; their
answers were car