s lot after he had left his wife at
Toronto; on presenting himself at the "office" of the hotel he used to
be eyed most suspiciously, especially when they saw his rough drab
coloured travelling dress, for the criterion of a genteel American is a
black coat and velvet collar. He was accordingly sent in general to a
garret, and other travellers have told us the same; one on board the
steamers quite confirmed this account, and told us he considered it a
piece of great luxury when he had a gaslight in his room. He made this
remark on our reading to him the account I have given of our room in
Albany and its splendid six-light candelabra.

But to go on with our adventures: we embarked on board the steamer at 9
A.M. on Wednesday, the 1st December. The view of the harbour of Boston,
formed by a variety of islands, was most beautiful, in spite of the deep
snow which covered them. The day was brilliantly sunny, but intensely
cold, and it continued bitterly cold till we reached Halifax on Thursday
night. The Boston steamers always touch at that place, and the liability
to detention by fogs in making the harbour, renders this passage often a
disagreeable one in the foggy season; but when the weather is as cold as
now, it is invariably clear, and we steered up the beautiful harbour of
Halifax with no interruption but that caused by the closing in of the
day, rendering it necessary to slacken our speed as we neared the town.
It was dark when we arrived, but having two hours to spare, we took a
walk, and after passing through the town-gate, saw what we could of the
place, respecting which I felt great interest, from my father having
been Chief-justice there many years; his picture by West, of which we
have a copy in D. P. H. by West himself, is at the Court House; but of
course we could not see it so late at night; and, in fact, could only go
to one or two shops to make some purchases as memorials of the place. It
began to snow hard before we returned on board, and the cold was so
intense, though less so since the snow began, that the upper part of
the harbour above where we stopped was frozen over.

We took Sir Fenwick Williams, of Kars, and a great many other officers,
on board at Halifax, and sailed again at midnight. Next day the intense
cold returned, and a severe north-wester made it almost impossible to
keep on deck. Every wave that dashed over us, left its traces behind in
a sheet of ice spread over the deck, and in the icicle