in a third-class carriage. There are two other
serious drawbacks in a long journey; the one being that there is no
rest for the head, and therefore no possible way of sleeping
comfortably; the other, that owing to the long range of windows on
either side, the unhappy traveller may be exposed to a thorough draught,
without any way of escape, unless by closing the window at his side, if
he is fortunate enough to have a seat which places it within his reach.
Another serious objection is the noise, which is so great as to make
conversation most laborious. They are painstaking in their care of the
luggage, for besides pasting on labels, each article has a numbered
check attached to it, a duplicate of which is given to the owner; time
is saved in giving up the tickets, which is done without stoppage, there
being a free passage from one end of the train to the other. This
enables not only ticket-takers, but sellers of newspapers and railway
guides, to pass up and down the carriages; iced water is also offered
gratis.

The road to Garrison, where we had to cross the river, runs along the
left bank of the Hudson, a distance of fifty miles, close to the water's
edge nearly the whole way, and we were much struck by the magnificence
of the scenery. The river, generally from two to three miles in breadth,
winds between ranges of rocks and hills, mostly covered with wood, and
sometimes rising to a height of 800 feet. Owing to the windings and the
islands, the river frequently takes the appearance of a lake; while the
clearness of the atmosphere, and the colouring of the sunset, added to
the beauty of the scene. We travelled at the rate of twenty miles an
hour, and arrived in darkness at Garrison. Here we crossed the river in
a ferry-boat to West Point, and found William, who had come at the same
speed in the steamer. The hotel being full, we accepted the offer of
rooms made us by Mr. Osborn, an American friend of papa's, at a little
cottage close to the hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn and their two children
had passed some weeks there, and said they frequently thus received
over-flowings from the hotel, and but for their hospitality on this
occasion, we should have been houseless for the night. This cottage
belonged to the landlord of the hotel, and there being no cooking
accommodation in it, we all took our meals in the public dining-room.
The hotel itself is a very spacious building, with a wide verandah at
each end. We found an endles