for the visitation of
prisoners, and one of thanksgiving after the harvest, also offices for
the consecration of churches, and for the institution of ministers to
churches; and some excellent forms of prayers authorised by the church
to be used in families. These seem the chief alterations, excepting that
the Communion Service differs very much from ours; the oblation and
invocation, which I believe are used in the Scotch service, being
introduced into theirs. To the whole is added, in their prayer books, a
most excellent selection of psalms and hymns, in which one is glad to
recognise almost all those which we admire most in our own hymn books.

But, after this long digression, to return to my journal. After the
service, Mr. Morgan, who had accompanied us to Baltimore with his
daughter, introduced us to Dr. Cox, and we were invited by him to return
on Thursday to a great missionary meeting, which is to be held in
Baltimore; but this, I am afraid, we shall hardly accomplish. In going
and returning from church, we saw a good deal of the city. It is built
upon slopes and terraces, which gives it a most picturesque appearance.
It is indeed generally reputed to be the most beautiful city in the
United States, and from the number of monuments it contains, it has been
called the "Monumental City." The principal structure of this kind is
the Washington monument, situated on a large open area, and upwards of
two hundred feet high. It is entirely constructed of white marble, and
has a colossal statue of Washington on the top. The town is built on the
banks of the Patapsco, about fourteen miles from where its flows into
the Chesapeake. It is navigable here for large ships, and presents one
of those enormous expanses of water, which form a constant subject of
dispute between papa and William, as to whether they are rivers, lakes,
or estuaries. Large as the expanse of water is, the distance from the
sea is at least 200 miles, and the water is quite fresh.

We returned yesterday with William to Philadelphia, and went to see the
famous water-works, which supply the town with water from the
Schuylkill. The water is thrown up by forcing-pumps to large reservoirs
above; the surrounding grounds are very pretty, and the whole is made
into a fashionable promenade, which commands a fine view of the city. We
afterwards went to the penitentiary, which has a world-wide renown from
its being the model of many which have been built in England a